Trust Me
by Gemagination
Summary: What if Sookie went to Fairyland a season earlier, at the height of her romance with Bill, right after Dallas? M rating is for chapters 8 & 14 so far.
1. Touching the Ground

_**Summary: **What if Sookie went to Fairyland a season earlier, at the height of her romance with Bill? Eventual S/E._

_This is my first fanfic in a LONG time. Please be kind, I don't have a beta yet! I prefer the books to the show, but this just works better in HBO's universe._

_Disclaimer: I don't own SVM, True Blood, or the Brandi Carlile song title._

**Trust Me: Touching the Ground**

I woke up in Bill's bed feeling cold. His house was old, and he had never really gotten around to installing heat. Sometimes he lights a fire, but I know it's only for my benefit. Vampires, he told me, are too vulnerable to bursting into flames to really enjoy a nice fire. Still, it would have been nice to have one right about now. I was under his heavy blankets but only wearing one of his undershirts. I blushed thinking back to how it came from his body to my own, especially considering the circumstances. I had seen my best friend's lover murdered in Merlotte's parking lot because of something I had done. Tara's grief was almost worse than Eggs' corpse. When she looked at me it was like a knife to the gut. I knew it was my fault, and I did the cowardly thing. I let Bill take me home.

Only my home wasn't really there for me to go to. Maryann's hellish circus had ruined Gran's beautiful home, from the lawn where I sunbathed to the kitchen where we ate pie. I mean, there was a finger on my porch, for Chrissakes! There was dirt, blood, food, and other fluids that I didn't even want to think about smeared on everything. Maryann, who a lesser lady might call a bitch, had really done a number on it. I couldn't stand seeing it like that, but I also couldn't work up any energy to do anything about it. Cleaning is something I do when I'm stressed or upset, and I'm darn good at it too. Yet this time it was too daunting. I had found the courage to wipe up Gran's blood the night she was murdered, but the destruction of her house broke something else inside of me. When Bill and I pulled up in my run-down car I knew there was no way I was sleeping there tonight, especially after Eggs' death.

Bill had been wonderful. He took my hand and led me through the cemetery to his estate. Had I been alone at my house, I would have soothed my pain with a bubble bath and a movie, followed by a restless sleep. Not so when Bill was around; it had only been a few months since we met, but I loved him so much. And the other perks weren't too bad either. If you had told me before I met Bill that I'd deal with a murder by having a long night of sex, I would have called Sheriff Dearborn to take you away. All this death and danger lately has taught me that there's nothing like good old fashioned intimacy to help you realize you're still alive. Well, one of you is alive at least.

The clock on the nightstand (again, something installed just for my human needs, as vampires have an internal clock of their own) told me it was nearly noon. My stomach agreed, letting me know it didn't appreciate skipping breakfast. I rubbed it a little, remembering that Bill didn't have any human food in his house. I had started keeping some small snacks over here a while back for mornings like this, but since our trip to Dallas it had all gone stale or rotten.

Dallas. What a crazy trip that had turned out to be! I didn't want to think too much on it, so I forced my legs to swing out of bed. Bill may not have central heating, but he sure does have a great bathroom. Usually after sleeping over I put on my day-old clothing and do the walk-of-shame over to my house to bathe. Bill's bathtub is luxurious and hot, but it just isn't the same as home, where I have my shampoo, my soap, heck, Bill doesn't even own a razor! And there's no way I'm going to work in my short shorts without shaving my legs.

Despite his lack of bath goods, I decided to bathe over at his place. I didn't want to set foot in my own shower until I had used an entire bottle of bleach on it. I would have loved a bath but my stomach was urging me to hurry it up to get to the food part, so shower it was. I turned the water as far to "hot" as I dared and shucked off Bill's shirt. Stepping into the shower, I breathed in the steam. As much as the Maenad's antics had distracted me, Dallas kept slipping into my mind- along with the vampires I had gone with.

I had only agreed to go to get paid. I also wasn't sure if Eric would have taken no for an answer. He was so hard to figure out. One minute he uses me like a portable telepath machine, and the next he saves my life. I was still shocked that Eric had been the one to come for me when I was down in that basement and not Bill. The whole time I was in that evil church, even when that beast Gabe was on top of me, I was certain Bill would come. Instead, Eric came charging in with that look on his face; as though he would do anything for Godric. It must have been the bond between childe and maker, right? Was that how Bill felt about Lorena? He claimed that he detested her, and was only held back from rescuing me because his maker was stronger and older than him. I had nothing to worry about, Bill had assured me, as the relationship between child and maker is based on nothing but mutual blood lust and murder. Then how did that explain the look of love and devotion Eric had on his face whenever he looked at Godric? He had proven over and over that he is a ruthless monster who doesn't know the meaning of love.

Ok, so maybe that was a little harsh. It's clear he cares for Pam- and at times he even seems to care about me. In Dallas he offered to die in my place, right there on the altar. Bill told me later that Eric only offered to go in my stead because he knew Reverend Newlin was going to kill me anyway. But if we were both going to die anyway, why offer to save me? To earn my trust for those last few minutes we were alive? It didn't really matter as only hours later Eric tricked me into drinking his blood.

I was thinking way too much about Eric, especially while in Bill's shower. I turned off the water and dried off. The only clothes I had over here were my Merlotte's uniform from last night, so I reluctantly pulled those on. As soon as I got home I'd put on fresh clothes anyway, so it didn't bother me too much to put on my grease-stained t-shirt.

I walked downstairs, noticing Bill's house got a bit dusty in our absence. Does he clean his house by himself? He doesn't really seem the type to hire a maid, but I can't imagine him cleaning either. I decide to leave him a quick note, but realize I don't know where he keeps any paper. I knew I was being silly- after all, he'd probably come right to me as soon as the sun set, but it felt like something a girlfriend would do for her boyfriend- if they were normal, that is. I liked to imagine we were living together and I was just leaving the house for a bit of errands. It was nice, daydreaming like that. Before Bill I never allowed myself to indulge in such a normal fantasy, knowing my luck with human men.

I didn't find any paper in the kitchen so I moved on to the living room. I smiled as I saw the rug by the fireplace, remembering the first time we made love there. To the left of the fireplace was a wooden door, open halfway. Peeking inside, it appeared to be a study. There was probably some proper word for it in an old house like this, like parlor or mezzanine. I never got around to studying architecture, but Gran would have known the exact word for it.

There was a large mahogany desk with a computer that looked completely out of place. I don't have a computer of my own, but I understand that they can be very personal. Not wanting to snoop, I made sure not to touch it and focused on finding pen and paper. The room was fastidiously tidy and I didn't see any type of sticky notes or notepads. About to abandon my idea of a love note all together, a corner of paper caught my eye. It was sticking out of a file cabinet that I had barely noticed during my quick perusal earlier. I carefully opened the door and glanced at the paper to see if it was blank. Unfortunately, it was covered in writing and I put it back without reading it; however, underneath it I saw my own photo.

My curiosity got the better of me. I knew I shouldn't be looking through Bill's things, but if it's a photo of me, isn't that my business? I liked the idea of Bill keeping a photo of me, but I never imagined it would be in some old file cabinet. I always thought he'd keep it in his pocket, or maybe in his cubby hole where he slept. I pulled the drawer open further and found more papers and photos. Some of the photos contained people I recognized; myself, Jason, Gran, Momma, Dad, even my cousin Hadley who I hadn't heard from in years. The papers had charts on them with strange names that I didn't recognize, mixed in with familiar ones like Stackhouse and Hale. Some of the names were circled, others crossed out.

My heart began to beat faster, and I kneeled on the floor in front of the file cabinet. Why did Bill have these papers? My thoughts were coming fast and all I could feel was panic and betrayal. My mind kept flashing back to Bill and his maker, how he was powerless against her. The drawer looked like Bill had been spying on me- surely if he had done anything wrong, it was Lorena's fault. I felt this awful sense of dread, as if something were right on the other side of the wall and if I reached out it would burst all over and ruin the first real relationship that I'd ever had.

I pushed those feelings down and told myself there was a reasonable explanation. Bill loved me! And with Gran gone, Tara heartbroken over Eggs, and Jason being Jason, Bill was really the only person I could rely on. I didn't want to even think about losing him too. The files were probably from his talks with Gran about our family history. Maybe it was even supposed to be a surprise for me, and I had just ruined it.

Standing up, I closed the drawer. I wasn't going to get any answers before sunset anyway, so I might as well eat something while I waited. I left Bill's house and walked through the cemetery. I didn't really notice the sun or if it was cloudy, all my energy was focused on blocking out thoughts about Bill and why he would have that drawer full of information.

Gran was buried halfway through the cemetery, and as I neared it I couldn't help but stop. I sat down in front of her headstone and gave in to the tears. If I couldn't cry at my grandmother's grave, where could I? I'm not one to wallow in self-pity, but the previous week's events just caught up with me. I had thought I could handle all the violence, murder, near-rape, and deceitful blood drinking as long as I had Bill's love, and all of a sudden that didn't seem so certain anymore. I needed something to hold on to but there was nothing around me but graves and ghosts.

I had been sitting in the sun for less than ten minutes when a bright light shone above me. It was different from the sun, more white and it gave off a cool energy. I had to shield my eyes to look at it, and as I did a beautiful woman appeared. She had long curly brown hair and her eyes were the same shade of blue as mine. She wore a golden dress and had bare feet.

"Sookie," she said. She spoke softly and with a slight accent. I didn't know why but I stood up and faced her, although she stood a good half foot taller than me.

"Who are you?" I asked. After Maryann, I knew I should be more afraid of strange women showing up in my woods, but something about her seemed peaceful.

"My name is Claudine," she replied, and smiled as if she knew a wonderful secret. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

I tried to listen to her thoughts, but all I heard was silence, and maybe chimes in the distance. "What are you?" I asked. It may not have been polite, but I was trying to be careful.

"I'm a fairy," said Claudine, "and I'm here to take care of you. Come with me, and I'll show you."

I didn't know what she meant by fairy, or where she wanted me to go, but she seemed safe enough. I decided to hear her out, so I took her outstretched hand.

That was the second everything stopped.

_Don't forget to review! It lets me know I should keep going. __Baby Whale Kisses: ._._


	2. Before It Breaks

_Wow! I never would have guessed the response I got from this fic. I'm so honored you all are reading and enjoying! Special shoutout to Team-Delena-Sooric & jenniferprignano for being the first to review/favorite last chapter :) _

_This chapter is going to be a bit more canon-heavy, adjusted for the difference in timeline._

_Again, I don't have a beta so please let me know if you see mistakes (or want to be my beta!)_

**PART TWO: Before It Breaks**

It felt like getting off a roller coaster. The ground looked like it was moving although my feet were planted. My hand was still grasping onto Claudine even though at the moment I wanted to get far away from her as possible. She was smiling at me like she had just taken me to Disneyland.

"What the heck was that?" I bit out. If I had gotten to eat breakfast, I'm sure it would have been all over her pretty dress by now.

"Welcome to Fairie, dear Sookie. We have been waiting so long for you to arrive!"

I snatched my hand from her and took a look around me. We were still outside, but where I could not guess. The ground was paved stone raised above a cliff with a stunning view that I didn't have time to notice. To my right was a stone building bordered by draped linen rooftops and beautiful trees growing straight out of the floor. About twenty people were milling around, most as beautiful and glowing as Claudine and dressed in a similar fashion. A third of them were more normal looking and less 'glow-y', although still dressed nicely. Most of the people were holding a little ball of light that I was surprised to see them put in their mouths and bite like a juicy peach. I felt ridiculously underdressed although I knew it wasn't my fault. It wasn't as if I had been given any warning!

"Look, Claudine," I began, trying not to panic, "I don't know what exactly just happened, but you had better start explaining."`

The beautiful fairy took my hand and led me to a stone bench. As we sat down a handsome man came up to us with a white bowl filled the with glowing orbs. "_Lumiere_s," he said, "Have some."

"No," I said rudely, not really looking at him. I was too angry with Claudine to be polite. Turning to face her, I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind but she raised a hand.

"Let me speak, Sookie," she began. "Then you may ask your questions of me. I said I was here to take care of you, and I meant it. I have been charged with your protection but you have been making it very difficult to do so. Why you started surrounding yourself with vampires I will never know."

Excuse me? Surrounding myself? She made it sound like I lived in a nest or something. Bill was the only vampire I'd exchanged blood with. Okay, so there was Eric, and Long Shadow, not to mention spending time around Pam, Godric, and all those other Texas vampires lately. "I would think as a supernatural person yourself you wouldn't be so opposed to vampires," I pointed out. "And what exactly did you mean by take care of me?"

Claudine smiled and shrugged her elegant shoulders. "I have been given a mission from higher up to keep you safe and out of danger because I possess certain powers to protect you." I raised an eyebrow and she continued, "I can be near you when I sense you are in danger and I am strong enough to fend off nearly anyone who attacks you. I suppose you can call me your fairy godmother."

"My fairy godmother?" I let out a quiet snort. "Well you've been doing an awful job," I said harshly. "Where were you a few days ago when I was almost raped? And how about when I was beaten to death?" Claudine looked more dejected and I almost felt bad for her. Then I reminded myself how she had seemingly kidnapped me to this strange fairy party.

"Fairies are unable to be around vampires," she explained. "By their nature they are our mortal enemies, and they cannot resist killing and eating us once they smell a fairy. So you can appreciate how difficult it has been to keep you out of trouble. However," she said, and brightened considerably, "I did save you! Do you not remember?" I shook my head. "That night with the Rattrays. You decided to take them on all on your own with just a chain to protect you!" Claudine looked at me, and I wasn't sure if I saw a hint of pride mixed with the reproach in her eyes. "They would have killed you that night if the chain hadn't wrapped around his neck." I opened my mouth to protest but she went on, "Yes, there was a vampire nearby, but he was weakened with silver and it was safe to intervene as long as I stayed out of his sight."

I frowned. That had been a very odd night but in all the excitement of meeting my first vampire I never really analyzed how exactly I had gotten away from them. _If only she had shown up the second time they came around…_ "Hey!" I glared at Claudine. "Where were you the next night when they beat me half to death? There was no vampire near to keep you away then." It was odd to be angry with her for not protecting me as I just met her this morning, but I was tired of this feeling of betrayal and there was no one else to take it out on. If she wanted to win me over she had better have a good reason for leaving me to die.

"The next time they attacked you," Claudine said slowly, "I wanted so badly to help you. But there _was_ a vampire there, and this time he wasn't weakened by silver."

"What do you mean?" There hadn't been any vampire. The beating had lasted what felt like forever, and then I laid there for even longer before Bill came along to feed me his blood. Could she mean Eric? Had he somehow watched the whole thing? Claudine must have been lying, as there was no way Bill would have let me be hurt while he watched. _But he did, _my brain whispered, _he knew you were in danger in Dallas yet he stayed in the hotel with Lorena. _"What vampire?"

Claudine looked as if she were about to answer when a woman walked over to us. She had reddish brown hair piled on top of her head and a beautiful golden dress draped over her frame. "Claudine," she said in a deep voice, "How could you forget your manners? I'm sure our friend is starving. Go fetch her a _lumiere_."

Claudine stood from the bench and bowed to the woman. "Of course Queen Mab," Claudine said and hurried into the building with a worried glance over her shoulder in my direction. I stood, wanting to follow her. _Please don't leave me with a Queen!_ I had enough of royalty after the stupid vampire hierarchy of Texas, and there was no way I wanted to get involve in another.

The Queen turned her eyes on me. "Miss Stackhouse, we are so honored to have you here," she said, smiling. "I hope Claudine is being a gracious host."

"Oh," I stammered. As annoyed as I was with Claudine, she was the only one I knew here and I wasn't about to 'throw her under the bus', as my favorite reality show contestants were fond of saying. "She's very helpful. It's just… I still don't really know where I am. Claudine said this is Fairie, but I've never heard of it." I lowered my voice, feeling like an idiot. "Are we even still on Earth?"

Queen Mab let out a laugh. "Fairies are of the earth, so in a way we will always be," she said cryptically. "Unfortunately, it has become harder for us to live there. Fairie is another dimensional plane where we can exist peacefully away from vampires and other demons."

"Oh," I said again. I was beginning to feel very uneducated and small. They had never covered dimensional planes or Fairy Queens at Bon Temps High, and I felt out of my element. I almost wished someone were around to ask me about Merlotte's specials or something, just so I'd have something to contribute. The Queen was looking at me so intently and I looked away.

"Barry!" There, speaking to some beautiful people that could only be fairies was Barry the Bellboy. It had been a few days since I saw him, and I suddenly remembered that I never thanked him for sending my message. "Excuse me, uh, Your Majesty," I said awkwardly, and walked away. Mab seemed a bit shocked and I remembered how reverent Claudine had been of her. Uh oh, I hoped I hadn't just committed a fairy _faux-pas._

Barry looked at me, and instead of the deer-in-the-headlights look he had given me in Dallas, he smiled and opened his arms for a hug. I was so excited to see someone familiar I ran and wrapped my arms around him. Touch amplifies my 'gift', so I had a direct line to his brain. _So good to see her, best day of my life meeting her, even though her vampire's whore took a chunk out of me, all worth it in the end… _

I was horrified by his last thought. Bill had never said anything about Lorena biting Barry. The images I got from his head were even more disturbing- Bill and Lorena, clothes ripped, blood everywhere. The strangest part was that Barry didn't seem at all upset about these memories. I knew he could hear my own thoughts and how hurt I was at seeing Bill and Lorena together, but he was acting as if we were discussing a mild inconvenience. _Barry, _I thought, _What's going on? How did you get here?_

"It's ok, Sookie," he said aloud, taking a bite of the lit-up fruit, "after the vamps left I met Lloyd. He's a fairy and he brought me here." Barry scanned around the crowd, looking for Lloyd and I followed his gaze. My eyes stopped on a man standing alone eating a light fruit.

"Grandaddy?" Leaving Barry, I made my way over to the man still not believing what I saw. He looked exactly like my grandfather from my memory. It was as if he had just stepped out of a picture from when I was a little girl.

"Beg your pardon?" He said, looking up.

"Grandaddy Earl, it's me, Sookie," I pleaded with him to remember me. It made no sense as he left us when I was little, but stranger things had happened to me lately.

"Sookie?" He said as I sat down next to him. He looked at me so strangely, as if he was trying to figure out if he was dreaming and I understood the feeling perfectly. "But I just saw you last week. It was your birthday…" He seemed unsure of himself. "I've only been here a few hours. I must have lost track of time, everything seemed so… lovely."

"Grandaddy, that was twenty years ago. Everything's different now."

"Your grandma?" he asked nervously.

"She passed, granddaddy. And momma and daddy died in a flash flood. It's just Jason and me now," I felt tears behind my eyes. I had felt so alone since Gran's death and here he was sitting next to me on a bench looking so young and healthy. I was angry at him and overcome with love and hope all at the same time. My emotions overwhelmed me and I looked away, and through my tears I began to see things differently. I saw a flash of desert sand on the floor, a shadow passed behind a tree and I heard a scream in the distance. The _lumiere_ in Grandaddy's hand flashed and looked as if it were rotting. I wiped the tears from my eyes and everything returned to being beautiful again. The annoyance at being brought to this world morphed into terror and I looked Grandaddy in the eye. _Grandaddy Earl, can you hear me?_ I thought to him. _This is a trap, we need to leave._

As soon as I thought those words all conversation at the party went silent and every eye was focused on me.

"A trap?" said Mab. "A trap is the world you've left behind, where fae blood is being lost to the dark. Our kind have sewn too many seeds with the humans, and now it is time to harvest!" As her voice raised I could see her ears begin to grow more pointed and her teeth flashed sharper than any vampire's fangs.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You're harvesting people?" I shouted, looking at her in disbelief. I had thought Maryann was crazy, but the fairies had reached another level entirely. How do fairies even sew seeds?

Instead of answering me, Mab took a _lumiere_ from a nearby plate and made her way toward me. Heart racing, I looked for an escape but there were fairies all around. A man and woman who I guessed were fairies each grabbed an arm. No matter how I struggled they were too strong and I remembered Claudine's words about her powers: _strong enough to fend off nearly anyone_. I was terrified at what these things could do to me and I held out my hands to ward off the Queen Mab's approach.

"No!" I shouted, and a bright light shot from my palms to the queen's chest. It felt as if a bolt of lightening had rushed through my blood and out of my body, leaving my fingers tingling. Mab flew as the light hit her body and crashed into a tree behind her. As her body hit the trunk the scenery around us changed. No longer was I standing on stone ground, but rather hard dry sand; the trees were barren twisted things and I saw nothing but empty landscape before me.

Worst of all the fairies had morphed into what I was learning were their true forms; long pointy ears and sharp fangs, their skin a dingy grey like death and their clothes hanging in rags. I could hear their voices shrieking all around me and I looked for my granddad.

My fellow humans seemed to wake from their spell and fled in every direction. Suddenly Grandaddy's hand was in mine and we began to run in the opposite direction of Queen Mab. I had no idea where we were headed, but I knew I wanted to get as far away as possible. My feet were flying under me and I heard a loud explosion to my left. Glancing behind, I saw balls of bright light hurdling through the air like grenades towards our retreating bodies. One landed and hit a woman to my left; she screamed as her body was engulfed in flames. I stumbled, too horrified to keep going, when I felt a hand grab my arm.

The hand pulled me behind a large boulder and I looked up to see who was touching me. Discovering it was a male fairy I began to panic and tried to move but he only clutched me tighter.

"This way!" He yelled over the screams and explosions. "I can get you out of here!" He resumed running and I was too hopeful to struggle anymore. It wasn't like I had any idea where I was going, and he seemed to be dodging the light-grenades just as much as we were. Was it possible there were fairies on our side of this attack as well?

Anyway I wasn't strong enough to pull from his grip and Grandaddy wasn't even trying to resist. I sure wished I could figure out how to blast that light again from my hands, but so far nothing was happening. I thought it more important to get away than to stay and learn how to fight.

After a quarter mile of running, which is still more than I was used to, the ground just ended. Across miles of black nothingness I could make out the other side of the cliff. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, but this is what I imagined it would be like. I made a mental note never to visit there.

The fairy finally released my arm. "My name is Claude," he said hurriedly. "My sister- your cousin- is the one who abducted you because the Crown wants to seal off the human world from Fairie forever."

"And you don't?" I asked. I had no idea what he meant by 'cousin', and there didn't seem to be time to ask about it. Right then I needed to figure out how far I could trust him.

"It was once our wold too," he replied. "Have you eaten the light fruit?"

I told him that I had not, but Grandaddy Earl had eaten it.

"Only you can go then," he said. "This canyon is a portal to your world. You'll have to jump." I looked at my granddad, whom I had just now been reunited with. There was no way I could leave him in this awful place, but who knew what would happen if he came with me?

"Humans!" I heard Mab's voice and turned quickly. She had caught up to us! "Jump and you will perish. Stay here in your rightful place!" She raised her hands up and I braced myself for more lightening balls, but instead I heard Claude gasp.

"She's closing the portal!" I turned around and saw the edges of the canyon filling with blue light. The gap between was becoming smaller and smaller. "You have to go now!"

Grandaddy put his arm around his waist and suddenly I was falling into the abyss below.

_Next chapter we'll finally see Eric, I promise! Please review if you enjoyed, lets me know to keep going :)_


	3. That Year

_Here it is, Eric finally makes an appearance. Thanks for sticking with me this long! My goal is to publish once a week._

_Special shout-out to Bite Me Eric for being the first to review last chapter!_

_As always, I don't have a beta so please let me know if you see any mistakes. I don't own HBO, SVM, Brandi Carlile, or anything else._

**PART THREE: That Year**

I stayed with his ashes until the sun was low in the sky. After Grandaddy jumped with me into the portal we had crashed in the cemetery, right on Gran's grave. We had enough time to exchange a few words but it wasn't enough. How could it be when he had missed my entire adult life? Thinking back, I never got a chance to ask him about Claude's comment- about how my cousin brought me to Fairie, which was impossible because my only cousin was Hadley. I didn't know if Granddad knew what the fairy was talking about but he would have been a good place to start.

In any case, there would be time to think of that later. The sun let me know I had been gone nearly all day and I was still starving- not to mention still in my Merlotte's uniform from last night! I stood up and brushed away the remnants of tears. Saying a prayer for Granddad and grateful his ashes were with Gran, I made my way back to my house. I supposed I had put off facing the Maenad's mess for long enough.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice all the changes until the house was in front of me. The yard was manicured better than when Gran was alive, there was a new paved driveway, and most beautiful of all was the fresh yellow coat of paint. I began to cry all over again in shock and disbelief. Who could have done this in one day? I thought immediately of Bill, then remembered he had been dead to the world since I woke up this morning. Nobody else I knew had enough money to do something like this, not to mention the time and manpower.

I walked up to the front porch and spotted Jason's pickup truck in the side yard. I didn't see my car, but then I remembered I had parked at Bill's last night. _Jason must know what's going on,_ I thought.

Running inside I couldn't believe my eyes. It was entirely different and yet familiar all at the same time. The furniture had all been washed clean of the blood stains and the walls all painted a soft cream. "Jason!" I cried, looking around for him. "Where are you?"

Heavy footsteps sounded and then Jason was standing in front of me. "Sook?" he said. He looked almost scared, and upon closer inspection I saw he had grown a goatee. _How had I missed that in Dallas?_ I thought. I was even more shocked to notice he was wearing the brown of the Bon Temps police department. My curious thoughts were halted when Jason engulfed me in the tightest hug I could ever remember. "Sookie," he said again, and let out a sigh.

"Uh, Jason?" I said, when it seemed like he wasn't going to let go. "It's ok, it's me. What's going on?" My brother slowly released me and gave me a strange look.

"What do you mean 'what's going on'?" he said, easing down onto the sofa. "I've been so worried! I mean, we all thought you were dead!"

"There wasn't any reason to think that," I said. "Is that why the house is all changed? How could you do all that work in just a day anyway?"

Now Jason was looking at me as if I had gone crazy. "A day, Sookie? This here renovation took months! And that's with the Herveaux company working days and nights. But all that doesn't matter now. Sookie, where the hell have you been?"

I didn't know what he was talking about, let alone how to answer his question._ Months_? I never thought he'd believe me if I told him I'd been abducted by my fairy grandmother, so I lied. "I've been with Bill, of course."

Apparently it was the wrong lie. "I _knew_ it!" Jason yelled, standing up. He paced the room furiously. "I _told_ them, but no one believed me. I mean, you disappear and all of a sudden he just ups and leaves! That vampire just abandons his big old mansion and moves away without so much as a forwarding address. You know I even went to Eric Northman? I tried telling him that Bill had taken you but he wouldn't listen. Said if you were with Bill he'd know. Whatever that means..."

Jason kept talking but I had stopped listening. Bill was gone? What was going _on_? "Jason, just shut up," I said as I walked over to him. Placing a hand on his arm I listened in.

A minute later I was on the floor shaking. Everything was a lot more clear. What had felt like a few hours in Fairie had really been thirteen months on Earth. Jason's mind showed me what had happened, how everyone had remained hopeful for so long, sending out search parties and hanging posters. Jason's frustration with the police department's effort had led him to becoming a deputy. And finally, after a year of fruitless search...

"Sookie?" Jason pleaded, scared by my silence.

"How could you? My house? This is _my_ house and you have no right to sell it!" I was so angry that I couldn't even look at him. "Get out. Get out!"

"But Sookie, it's not even yours anymore. Where are you gonna stay?" Jason backed away from me towards the door. He looked so sad but at the moment my anger was too great and I didn't care what he had to say.

"No, Jason, this is my house and I'm not going anywhere. Now get out before I go get my shotgun."

I heard the door shut and I fell to the sofa. I was too angry to cry and for that I was thankful. I had shed too many tears already and I was getting sick of it.

I realized the sun had finally set and I started turning on the lamps. I had only lit the living room when I heard a thump outside my door. My heart raced- Jason had said Bill abandoned this town, but that must be him. Surely he could sense that I was back and had returned! Running to the front door I stopped.

Instead of Bill's comforting frame it was the Sheriff of Area 5. _No,_ I thought. _Not right now._ I had just dealt with too many big things to face this mess. Eric was the last person I wanted to see right now, after Jason. He couldn't come in without an invitation so I turned away and walked into the kitchen without even acknowledging his presence. Eric could fly back to Shreveport or he could stand outside until the sun came up, I didn't care.

Either way I was going to find some food and eat it. I had no idea what I would find since I had been gone a year, but to my surprise the fridge was fully stocked with all my usual groceries- even my favorite yogurt flavor.

"I have kept it filled in the chance of your return."

I whipped around at the sound of his voice, and couldn't believe my eyes. "What are you doing in my house?" I said, ignoring his statement. "I never invited you."

Eric walked towards me with a deliberate slowness until we were inches apart and reached a hand behind me. I held a breath involuntarily until I heard him close the refrigerator door. He towered over me and I had to tip my neck up to look him in the eye. It was funny, Jason had changed so much and yet Eric looked exactly the way I had remembered him. His blonde hair was still cropped close to his neck and his eyebrows still did that little quirk that I thought meant he was measuring his response. I knew vampires don't breathe but I thought I heard him inhale, almost like he was smelling me.

"When a vampire owns the house, he does not need an invitation." He was staring at me in the strangest way and it took me a minute to register what he had said.

"Owns the..." I stammered, "What do you mean?" I could feel heat rush to my face and I took a step even closer. Standing on my tiptoes I poked a finger into his chest. "Listen, Eric. This is _my_ house and don't even think of coming in here without my blessing! How dare you!"

I took a breath to continue my rant when his lips were suddenly on mine. Our bodies were pressed together and I didn't remember wrapping my arms around his strong back. Oh, lord were those some nice muscles back there. I was exploring them as thoroughly as his tongue was my mouth while his hands made a journey of their own. Lost in the kiss, I didn't realize the reality of what was happening until I felt a bulge pressing against my stomach.

My hands left his back immediately and shoved his chest as hard as I could. Although he could easily resist my force, Eric took a step back anyway. I felt a wave of cold rush through me and I was disgusted with myself. It may have been a year in Bon Temps, but for me it had only been a day since leaving Bill's bed and here I was making out with his Sheriff! I decided it must be a combination of hunger, Eric'c blood in me, and some leftover stupid fairy magic making me act this way.

"What are you thinking?" I yelled, letting my anger out on him. "First you trick me into drinking your blood, and now you think you can kiss me?" I felt like poking the big vampire again but I resisted, worried what would happen if I touched him. I suddenly remembered what he had said about owning the house. "You need to explain yourself right now." I glared at him to let him know I was serious.

Instead of replying, Eric opened the refrigerator again and began taking out food. Out came a tub of yogurt, grapes, bread, and peanut butter. After setting them on the counter Eric moved towards me once again and put his hands on my shoulders. I held my breath but instead of kissing me he pushed down lightly until my knees gave in. I found myself sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, stunned into silence. I remained in that state as Eric made me a peanut butter sandwich, got out a spoon, plate, and cup and served me a modest dinner.

All the fight went out of me and the full force of not eating in twenty four hours finally hit me. I stuffed my face with that sandwich and within seconds it was gone. While I went to work on the yogurt Eric began to make me another sandwich. "Toast it this time," I said with my mouth full of grapes, "please."

For the next twenty minutes Eric stood leaning against my kitchen counter watching me eat. As I began to slow down and pick at the remaining fruit he opened the fridge one last time and took out a True Blood. I had bought them for Bill but it wasn't like I could begrudge the vampire who just took care of my needs a drink of his own. Especially if he was going to heat it up himself.

I breathed a long sigh and stood to put the dishes in the sink when Eric stopped me. "Sit, Sookie. We have much to talk about and although there are many hours of darkness left, I imagine you will want to rest soon."

All I could do was nod. I wanted answers and at the moment it seemed as if Eric was the only one I could get them from. He lowered his tall frame into the chair across from me. Taking a sip of his synthetic blood, he began.

"You've been gone over a year, Sookie, but I always knew you'd be back. Everyone gave up on you returning; Bill, your employer, even your brother. As vampires get older we no longer feel the years as strongly as mortals, yet these past thirteen months have lasted an eternity. And here you come out of thin air, smelling more delicious than I ever thought possible. Tell me, Sookie, where were you?"

Well, alright, it looked like Eric wanted some answers too. Lying hadn't gone so well with Jason so I tried the truth on Eric. "I was in Fairie with my godmother."

Eric frowned and leaned forward a bit further. "You have a godmother?" he asked.

"I guess so," I continued. It had been such a strange trip and it was nice to tell someone. I hoped talking about it would help me make more sense of the events that had happened. "She just showed up in the cemetery last night- well, I guess it was more than that for you. It was the day after Bill saved me from Maryann, you remember that?"

"As I was told, it was Sam who killed the Maenad while Bill watched," Eric said with a slight smile. "Go on."

"She told me she was a fairy and asked me to go with her. I took her hand and-"

"You went voluntarily?" Eric asked heatedly. "You knew she was a fairy and you went with her?"

"I was upset!" I replied. I didn't want to admit to Eric how angry and betrayed I had felt by Bill at the time. "I had found something," I said, "at Bill's, and I wasn't thinking correctly. Anyway she didn't tell me we were going to go anywhere! I didn't even know that fairies existed. I thought we'd walk to my house and have a chat. How could I have known we'd go to another dimension?"

Eric seemed to think about what I said for a minute, then asked "What were you upset about?" His eyes seemed genuinely concerned and part of me wanted to be honest with him. I had to remind myself this was Eric, the deceitful and manipulative Sheriff.

"Nothing," I snapped. "Does it really matter? Where is Bill, anyway? And how did you know I was back?"

"Slow down, Sookie," Eric said, holding up a hand. "First finish telling me what happened in Fairie, then I shall answer all that."

I sighed, frustrated, but knew he was right. Eric was more familiar with these supernatural things than I was, so maybe he would find something I hadn't. I told him about the light fruit, Queen Mab, and finding my grandfather. My heart raced as I recalled blasting Mab with the light and her retaliation with those light-bombs, and I told Eric everything about the fairy who helped us escape. "But why did he say he was my cousin?"

"I don't know," Eric said while shaking his head, "But if you are related to the Fae it may explain many questions I have had concerning you."

I decided to ignore that cryptic remark and held him to his promise. "Now it's your turn," I said firmly. "Tell me what's happened. Where's Bill, and what's going on with my house?"

For a moment Eric seemed lost, as if he didn't know what to say. He ran a hand through his hair and shifted his legs. "When a human takes a vampire's blood," he began, "the vampire can sense where they are and if they've had enough blood, even what they are feeling." I nodded, as this was not new to me. "The day you left felt as if you had died. Ever since you drank my blood your presence has been buzzing in the back of my mind, always around. Suddenly you were just... gone. Bill said he felt the same way. What confused me was that neither Bill nor I felt any fear or pain before you disappeared. That is what convinced me that you were still alive."

"And Bill?" I asked, "Did he think I had died? Is that why he left?"

Eric shrugged his large shoulders. "What Bill was thinking I don't know. Two months after your disappearance he asked permission to leave my Area and didn't say why. Last I heard he was working for the Queen in New Orleans."

My mind began to work in overdrive. Bill must have thought I died, and couldn't stand to live so close to my home. He would be so happy to know I was back! "Do you have a number for him?" I asked Eric hopefully. "I want to give him the news that I'm alive!"

"Sookie," Eric said carefully. The look in his eyes told me he didn't want to say the words coming out of his mouth. "I woke from my sleep at 5:00 today because I felt your presence as clearly as a stake through my heart. For thirteen months I have waited for your return and the second the sun went down I flew here as fast as I could."

I looked at him, waiting for him to make his point. "I have only fed you my blood once, and that is how strongly I felt your reappearance tonight. Your blood bond with Bill is much stronger and yet..."

"Oh my gosh he's probably on his way now!" I exclaimed. Standing up I ran to the door.

"New Orleans is over three hundred miles away," Eric said into my ear. He was directly behind me and I willed myself to focus on Bill. "He will not be here until at least midnight." I felt Eric's strong hands slip around my waist and pull me closer to him. My back flush against his chest, I relaxed into his arms. "Rest, my Sookie. I will wake you if he comes."

"I'm not going to sleep," I murmured, trying to keep my eyes from closing. I suddenly felt as though I had been awake for a year rather than a day, which I suppose in a way I had. My bones felt weary and I wanted nothing more than to slide under my covers and sleep for a week. "He's waited thirteen months for me, I can wait a few hours."

"Of course you can," Eric reassured me, running his hands up and down my sides. "Come and lie down."

Eric scooped me into his arms and I was asleep before I knew where he set me down.

_Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, it lets me know to keep going :)_


	4. If There Was No You

_! Sorry if you went to this page and it was chapter 2 all over again. FF is being stupid. !_

_Here's part four! I apologize for it's lateness- I got a cold __**and**__ didn't take any sick days off work, which is a recipe for no fanfic writing._

_Special shout-out to sluggy'smom for being the first to review&alert the last chapter!_

_Como siempre, please tell me any mistakes as I'm still in need of a beta. Enjoy!_

**PART FOUR: If There Was No You**

"Sookie," I heard a voice call. I think I had been dreaming. I could still remember the sensation of swinging, like when I was little and daddy would hook up a tire to the old tree using a rope and just push me all day. I didn't want to open my eyes, it felt so nice in this dream under the blanket. If I tried hard enough, I could feel the wind rushing across my face. "Sookie," the voice repeated.

"Hmmmfh?" I moaned unintelligibly. My eyes were not going to open, no matter how softly someone's fingers were waving over my eyelashes. I lifted my face into the hand like a cat, seeking its comfort. The hand cupped my cheek and I felt lips at my ear. "Lover, wake up."

Finally I opened my eyes and saw Eric leaning above me, his knees on the side of the bed and his back all hunched over. I rolled over onto my own back and shielded my eyes, still not ready to join waking life. I felt as if I was in a dream world and everything was sort of fuzzy and unreal. "What time is it, Eric?"

"I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye," he said quietly. "I didn't want to risk losing you for another year." His eyes were clear and awake, too awake for how I was feeling at the moment.

"You didn't lose me," I said, trying to brush off the seriousness of his statement. "I was just gone a moment."

He looked at me and I remembered that there was something important that I was supposed to ask him, but I was just too sleepy to think of it just yet. All I wanted to do was roll over and get back to sleeping.

"Bill is still in New Orleans," Eric said abruptly.

Oh, there it was. How could I have forgotten the vampire I was waiting for? I sat up against the headboard and pulled my knees in to my chest. "How do you know?" I asked. I had gone to sleep imagining that Bill's lips would be the first thing I felt when I woke up, full of sweet words and explanations of the strange things I had seen and found. It stung that he wasn't here and I felt the pit of bad feeling in my stomach begin to grow.

"While you were asleep," Eric said, standing up and pacing the room, "I called a contact of mine in the palace who informed me Bill was there and preparing to go to ground for the day. I did not want you to spend your whole day wondering if he was here somewhere."

Well that was thoughtful of Eric. Then again, thoughtful didn't usually go with Eric's motives so I tried to find out how this would be beneficial to him. I certainly wasn't going to tell him how upset it made me that Bill hadn't even called. Why wasn't he here? It was maddening and I didn't know what to make of it.

"Thank you for checking. Eric," I asked, "is it possible that it's been so long since exchanging blood with him that..." I trailed off, hoping for Eric to rescue me from uncertainty.

"He felt you, Sookie," Eric said, a bit harshly. "Stronger than even I did. You had my blood once, and I felt you like a blow to the heart. How many times have you had Bill's blood? And how many times did you choose to do it yourself?"

"That's not fair," I told him. "I was dying, if he hadn't acted then I wouldn't have woken up again. Besides, I drank your blood against my will, too."

"Was it?" Eric asked, leaning in closer to me. My back was still against the headboard and only my knees kept me separated from Eric's large body. "The only time you've been conscious and in your right mind was when you drank my blood. You could have said no and let someone else suck the bullets out of me. Or you could have let me get silver poisoning. I gave you a choice- not something Bill has ever done."

I shook my head but didn't have any reply for him. Bill had saved my life those times, it didn't matter if he asked my permission first. Did it? I could feel tears building up behind my eyes and I squeezed them shut, willing myself not to cry in front of Eric.

"It's almost daylight," Eric said. I looked up at the sudden change in subject. "I want you to promise me something, Sookie. Do not try and contact Bill until I see you next."

"Why should I wait? And anyway, it's not like I have his phone number or anything." Eric was trying to tell me what to do, and it didn't sit well with me. Still, I really hadn't thought about trying to find him, I had just assumed Bill would come to me eventually.

"I do not know why he hasn't come for you yet, and I don't trust it. Please, just wait for me before you do anything." Eric looked as surprised as I did that he had said 'please' to a human, but before I could call him on it his lips were on my forehead and his arms around me. "Stay safe, Sookie. I shall be back at night fall. Think about what I have said."

In the time it took me to blink he was gone and out the window. The clock told me it was only 5 AM, and still dark out. A few tears slipped down my cheeks but I didn't allow myself to create anymore. I decided to go back to sleep and hope for clarity when I woke up.

Unfortunately, my dreams were dark and confusing. I was on a boat in a rolling river. The waves threw me back and forth and I knew if I stayed on it I would drown. I could barely make out Bill's form on the shore across from me, and I called out to him. _Help me!_ I shouted, but he only shook his head and watched.

I woke a few hours later feeling unsettled. I decided to finally get out of my Merlotte's uniform and begin living this life, whatever it was going to be. A year had been stolen from me, but I was going to find out what that year had bought me.

The shower was stocked with my usual soaps and shampoos and I was grateful. Eric had mentioned that he kept my fridge filled, so I supposed I had him to thank for the toiletries as well. I didn't like how indebted I was becoming to the vampire, but at the same time it was nice to have someone looking out for me. Why couldn't it be Bill taking care of all my needs? It would have been a lot easier to be grateful to my boyfriend.

Was Bill really still my boyfriend? I began to wonder, especially remembering Eric's kiss from the night before. Before my body could fully remember the kiss I hopped out of the shower and dried off. I had work to do, and this was no time to be fantasizing about someone who wasn't my... whatever it was Bill was.

I allowed myself to spend some time primping as it had been too long since my last shower and I threw on a sundress that I felt especially pretty in. Being stuck in my Merlotte's uniform had me wanting to feel nice no matter what.

Heading downstairs I looked to check my answering machine when I saw it had been disconnected. I guess it made sense, as I had been gone over a year. I wondered how many people knew I was back in town and how they would get a hold of me.

Putting that aside I went to the kitchen and decided to make oatmeal. Pancakes seemed like too much of a hassle at the moment and cereal not filling enough for my poor stomach.

A few cups of coffee later I was feeling more like myself and ready to tackle the world, yet I didn't really know when to start. The doorbell saved me from deciding and I carefully went to the porch.

"Sookie!" I had barely opened the screen door when I was engulfed in Tara's arms. It felt good to be hugged by her, as the last time I had seen her she was crying over Eggs' lifeless body. I still didn't know if she blamed me for his death, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"Tara, it's alright," I said. As soon as she released me another set of arms surrounded me. "Sam!" He didn't say anything, just held me for a minute longer before finally letting go.

"Don't you ever do that to us again," Sam said. "Do you know how worried we all have been? I thought you were dead!"

"Fuck, Sookie, I oughta kill you myself for putting us through it all!" Tara pushed past me and sat on the sofa. "Jason came in this morning talking about how you showed up out of nowhere last night and threatened to shoot him! Tell me, Sook, have you really been with Bill the whole time? I _knew_ he was up to something."

"Hush, Tara and let her talk!" Sam said, taking a seat next to her. "Sookie, what Tara is trying to say, is that we missed you."

"Well, thanks Sam," I said. "And Tara, too, I guess. Look you guys, it's a long story. Do y'all want any coffee?" They both nodded and I excused myself to the kitchen.

I had no idea what I was going to say to them that would make any sense and I hadn't thought of any decent lies. Saying I had been with Bill hadn't worked with Jason, and now it was looking like even worse of a lie. The truth had been alright with Eric, so I thought maybe I could trust my friends with it too. Besides, Sam was a shifter and Tara had been through some supernatural stuff recently herself. I walked back into the living room with a bit more confidence in my plan.

I handed Sam and Tara their coffees, although I wondered if they would have preferred "Irish" ones instead, considering the circumstances. I took a deep breath before I started my story and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't sound like a crazy person. As much as I wanted to be honest with them, I left out what happened with Eric last night. I wasn't quite ready to share that part just yet. When I finished Tara looked confused and Sam looked more concerned than ever.

"Faries?" Tara said in disbelief. "I thought they were supposed to be the nice ones, like Tinkerbell and stuff, sprinkling pixie dust."

"No," Sam interjected, "In the myths fairies always did have some sort of dark side to them. You're never supposed to accept a favor from them without someday giving one in return. It sounds like you're lucky to be alive, Sookie." He gave me a look that told me to stay out of trouble. _Too late,_ I thought.

"What did they want with you anyway?" Tara asked. "From what you said, it didn't sound like that Queen expected you to fight back, and they had telepathy themselves so it's not like they wanted you for your powers. Why take you away from your world?"

"Mab said they didn't want anyone with fairy blood left on this plane," I said slowly. I had been wondering that myself, and the answer seemed both obvious and completely impossible. All the people at that party had either been fairy or the fruits of fairy-human "seeds", which I realized meant offspring. "Claudine and her brother thought I was their cousin somehow. She said godmother at first but later her brother said we're cousins."

"You're part fairy?" Sam asked. "How could we have not known this?"

"But it's a mistake. I can't be," I told him. "There aren't any fairies in my family. Gran's traced our heritage all the way back to colonial times. She even has them all typed up in..." I trailed off when I realized where I had seen all that information last. "He knew!"

Sam and Tara looked at me as if I had grown a second head and I could hear from their thoughts they had no clue what I was talking about, but at the moment I didn't care. "That bastard! He knew! Or at least he had an idea." I stood up and began pacing the room. I was full of angry energy and I didn't know what to do with myself. Bill had been collecting my family history to...

To what, exactly? To see if he recognized any names as fairies? That didn't seem likely, as I didn't get the impression vampires and fairies were too familiar with each other. Besides, I thought my Gran would have already discovered anything of importance. What I really needed was that file. Perhaps I had turned on Bill too quickly. Was I jumping to conclusions? I looked at Sam and Tara, who seemed to be having a private conversation on my sanity. "Jason mentioned that Bill left town."

They looked confused at my change in subject but Tara answered me. "There was an investigation for a while because he was the last person to be seen with you. He claimed to have no idea where you were, but nobody believed him."

Sam looked a bit sheepish. "There might have been some... threats made on your behalf. When the police failed to show any proof they had to close the case but we couldn't just let him go."

I raised an eyebrow at Sam. "What did you do to him?"

"People in this town love you, Sookie," Tara exclaimed. "What were we supposed to do after you disappeared? Just give up? Anyway it's not like we staked the asshole," _No matter how much I wanted to,_ I heard her think. The pictures in her thoughts were violent and I was touched in a morbid way at how much she cared for me.

"He got the hint," Sam interjected before Tara could get too specific. "Months after you were gone and it was clear the police weren't going to do a damned thing, he packed up his things and left. The place is completely gutted now."

"Where did he go exactly?" I prodded, wondering how truthful Eric had been.

Sam shrugged. "Who knows? He could have gone to South America for all I care. Good for him, too, because I can't say how long he would have lasted. Your brother was out for vengeance and there was only so long we could hold him off." Sam's thoughts hinted that he hadn't tried very hard to keep my brother away.

"Jason mentioned he went to Eric for help," I offered. "What happened?"

Tara rolled her eyes. "Jason told us some crazy story about Eric saving your life in Dallas, and how Bill left you to after a terrorist bombing just to chase after some Fellowship guys. He said if Bill had taken you, Eric would know and that he'd help us get you back. I don't know why he thought that, but Eric set him straight pretty quick. Claimed he didn't know where you were but that he knew you weren't dead and you'd be back someday."

I frowned at her retelling of Dallas, although I supposed it was slightly true. It had been Eric to save me from both Gabe and Reverend Newlin, and after that suicide bomber blasted the party Bill had disappeared, leaving Eric to pick up the pieces. I had been so angry with Eric at the time I hadn't really thought about how Bill left me there alone to seek revenge.

"Is that why he sold him my house?" I asked.

"What?" Sam and Tara said at the same instant, and I couldn't help but lose myself to laughter for a minute. They glared at each other before turning back to me. "I knew Jason was thinking on selling the place," Tara said as I got my giggles under control. "I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is. Jason and logic never really got along."

"But to Eric Northman?" Sam said, looking angry. "What's his game?"

"I don't know," I said, "But it doesn't matter. Whatever he did it can't be legal. Gran left the house to me, not Jason and he had no legal right to sell it. Eric can tell it to a judge, but until then I'm not going anywhere."

"So what are you going to do, Sookie?" Tara asked. "I mean, are you just going to go back to your life?"

"I'm not doing anything until I figure out this fairy business," I told them. "I don't like the idea that they can just pop into my life whenever they feel like it. The first place I can think to start is with that file Bill had on me and my family."

"The what?" Tara asked, sounding indignant. It was nice of her to be angry on my behalf, although I was getting worked up enough for the both of us.

"I'll tell you about it over at Bill's old place. Is anyone living over there now?"

Tara thought a moment. "It's been empty since he moved out, last I heard anyway. But Sookie, it's all cleaned out."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter, I have to start somewhere. Will you help me?"

"Of course," Tara said smiling. "It's not like I can let you break into a vampire's house by yourself!"

Sam stood up. "Now I'm going to stay out of this one. I have to get back to the bar- we've been short staffed since you left, you know." He gave me a tight hug and kissed me on the cheek. "Try not to get killed this time," he said.

Determined to get answers, Tara and I locked up my house and set off across the cemetery to my former lover's house.

_Short and sweet with a tiny bit of Eric in it! Thanks for reading, please remember to review if you liked it! Helps me get the next one out._


	5. Turpentine

_I'm SO sorry you guys. This chapter has been sitting on my computer for a week now because I'm just not happy with it. I've been working and working on it but I think I'll just have to be okay with it and move on. Probably because there's no Eric. I learned my lesson- no more chapters without Eric! He's a necessity._

_Special shout-out to LadyKT for being the first to review last chapter!_

_Seriously, reviews keep me going. Thank you!_

**PART 5- TURPENTINE**

"So what's the biggest news I missed last year?" I asked Tara as we walked across the cemetery. It was getting hot out already even though it was only 11:00.

I was glad I had my best friend by my side to keep me from wallowing in misery. In the last 24 hours I had been taken from Earth, watched my grandfather die, lost a year of my life, my house was sold to the Sheriff, and Bill left me. I needed a little girl time, however brief.

"Well, there is one thing." Tara seemed almost shy, which is not a trait I was used to seeing in her.

"What is it?" I prodded.

"I never told you this Sookie," she began, "but before I met Eggs, Sam and I kind of had a thing going on. Then I lost Eggs and you all in the same week and Sam was there for me. I know you and Sam have a sort of history, but honestly it just feels so right. I mean, am I crazy? It's not like I'm any good at this stuff."

I stopped our walk and turned to my friend. "Tara, I'm so happy for you. Really, you deserve someone to love you and Sam is really special. I'm just surprised you admitted it to yourself!" I hugged her and reminded myself how lucky I was to have friends like Tara and Sam in my life.

The last five minutes of the walk were spent with Tara gushing uncharacteristically about her relationship and I almost forgot about our mission.

We reached the porch and I held out a hand to stop Tara.

"Wait!" I said quietly. "Someone's here."

Tara looked around. "Inside the house?"

I nodded. "Vampires give off this void-like signal, as if there's just an empty space out there where a mind should be. Tara, you're sure Bill is gone?" I shivered. I hadn't really thought about confronting my lover this soon.

"I heard he's gone, that's all I know. But I suppose he could have snuck back in without telling anyone."

"I guess there's only one way to find out," I said walking up the steps. "Anyway, its daylight. He won't be awake to see us." I opened the door quietly and Tara followed me.

The house was dusty and cold and I could see how everyone thought it was abandoned. I made my way through the sitting room and headed straight for Bill's office, avoiding the fireplace and all it's romantic memories.

I tried the handle and unlike the previous time, I found the door locked. I turned to Tara. "This is where he kept the files, but I can't get in. Now what?"

"What do you mean now what?" Tara said with a smile. "Now we break down that goddamned door!"

I laughed. "How? It's not like I have super strength."

"Let me look around, he must have an axe or shovel or something stored away in this huge house." Tara looked excited at the prospect of destroying Bill's property.

"Okay," I nodded, "I'll go through the rooms and try and figure out who's living here. Or, unliving here. You know what I mean."

Tara started in the living room and I made my way up to the bedrooms. I knew where Bill's cubby-hole was located but I didn't want to go there quite yet. I preferred to go the cowardly route of snooping through his belongings instead.

I peeked in the extra guest rooms quickly, reasoning that if Bill was here he wouldn't be staying in them anyway. The master bedroom was harder to enter. I allowed myself a few seconds to get ready before opening the door.

The bed was neatly made, although the whole room smelled musty. It was hard to tell, but it didn't seem like anyone had slept in it for a long time. I ran my hand across the comforter, feeling a bit like Goldilocks. This room had once felt like a second home to me and now it was foreign and strange.

I had to fight tears as I stood in that room. Bill had been my very first love, and it was hard to reconcile our haven with the new feelings of betrayal. My heart still wished that this was all some misunderstanding, but the more I thought about it the more I had to admit that Bill had deceived me. Eric's words from the night before came back to me then, about how Bill had never asked permission to drink my blood. Could it all have been a ploy to get his blood inside me? At least Eric gave me the choice. I felt violated in a completely new way.

Claudine said there had been a vampire present when the Rattrays beat me. If she had been telling the truth- and that was a big if, seeing as how Claudine was sent to 'harvest' me- could it have been Bill?

No matter how many lies he told or what his purpose here had been, I just couldn't believe he had watched me beaten within an inch of my life just so he could control me. _But he didn't know you yet_, a thought snuck in. That had happened only a day after we met.

Suddenly it was too much to bear and I collapsed on the floor crying. It seemed like my entire relationship had been a lie. I was disgusted with myself for allowing it and angry at Bill for betraying me. Then again, if he never loved me at all, was it still a betrayal?

I decided the only way to know for sure was to first find what was inside that office and then to confront the vampire himself. Brushing away the tears, I said goodbye to that room and our relationship in the same glance and headed downstairs.

"Sookie!" Tara called from the living room. "I did it!" She was standing in front of the office door, which was now splinters. She grinned. "I may have chopped it a bit more than necessary. Oops."

I smiled back at my friend. "Thanks, Tara. Maybe later we can destroy some other stuff." I took a deep breath and walked into the office, careful not to trip over the debris.

The desk was in the same place as I remembered it and the file cabinet was right behind it. I forced myself to open the drawer. Part of me was hoping it would be gone and I could chalk it up to my imagination- of course there were no secret files on me and my family. Still, my rational side knew it was time to rip the bandaid off and see what Bill had been hiding.

The files were all still inside the drawer and I pulled out the six-inch thick stack.

"Whoa," Tara said from behind me. "That's a lot of info. Its not like I have a lot of experience, but isn't that kind of a creepy thing for your boyfriend to have?"

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Tara, but I think I need a few minutes alone. I mean, I don't really know what these are."

She nodded and said "I understand. I'll keep investigating who our mystery vamp is that's staying in Bill's place!" She walked away and I sat down in Bill's big leather chair.

The papers were well organized, which didn't surprise me. Bill had always been meticulous. The first few pages contained data on myself- high school records, tax returns, even my birth certificate. There were a few photos of myself at different ages. I felt a chill run down my spine and I wondered what Bill's plan had been for me.

After my own biography I found a few brief pages on Jason and my parents, along with a photo for each. My dad's birth certificate was included, but his father's name had been circled with a red marker. Above the name in Bill's handwriting were the initials "FB" with a question mark. I set that page aside and moved on to the next section.

A photo of Hadley was staring up at me. She was only about ten in the photo and smiling, hopeful and innocent. The next photo was more how I remembered her; bleached out hair, rings under her eyes, and heavy makeup. She had been getting into drugs for about a year at that point and we had all hoped it would be her rock bottom from which she would rise and blossom. Now no one had heard from her in years and my brother was convinced she was dead. Gran and I had been more hopeful but as the years went on I was beginning to see Jason's side of things.

Which is why the next picture made me gasp- it was a photo Hadley, looking beautiful if a bit slutty in a large room with a pool and palm trees. She looked happier than I had ever seen her, even as children. I flipped it over and written on the back was the year I had gone to Fairie, with the caption "Hadley, New Orleans".

My cousin was alive and well... in New Orleans? How had Bill found her? Was he with her now? As I tried to figure out the connection I heard footsteps approach. Tara popped her head in with an odd look on her face.

"I found something, Sookie," she said. I stood up and walked over to her. "It's in the bathroom. I don't know who the vampire is that you sensed, but I'm pretty sure it's not Bill."

I followed Tara into the first floor bathroom. It was fully stocked with a shower but I had only ever used it for the toilet. I much preferred the master bathroom upstairs, and Bill had no use for it either. It had always been empty and unstocked.

Now, however, it was strewn with clothing, shoes, makeup, hair accessories, and other bathing goods. I picked up one of the clothes from the ground and held it up. It was a light blue miniskirt, about my size. I held it up for Tara.

"What the heck is this?" I asked.

"Unless Bill's changed his fashion sense, I guess we can assume it's a different vampire staying here." Tara picked up a spiked heel. "Damn, too small. These are cute! So what are you gonna do?"

"Let's go see who it is," I told her, walking out of the bathroom. Tara ran after me but I had made up my mind. Besides, vampires were supposedly dead to the world during the day, and I told myself I wasn't scared.

Bill's cubby hole had been in the kitchen closet, so I opened the door and knelt down. Tara stood over my shoulder. "Hold on," she said. "Let me get my axe first."

"Vampires are asleep during the day. You have nothing to worry about," I told her, but she had already gone to retrieve it. "Ready?" I asked when she returned.

"Go for it, Sooks, let's meet your neighbor."

I opened the trap door and peered inside. It was hard to see because it was dark, but I would have recognized her anywhere. "Jessica!" I said, surprised. She didn't respond and I reached out my hand to touch her. Tara grabbed my arm back.

"No way," she said, pulling me to my feet. "Not a good idea to wake a sleeping vampire. What if she eats you before waking up? Just wait until dark, then you can question her."

I nodded, grateful that she had stopped me. What had I been thinking? I gathered up the files from the office and we walked back to my house.

"You want some lunch?" I asked my friend.

We made macaroni salad together and for a while it felt like I was a little girl again just hanging out with my best friend. It was as if any moment Gran would walk through the door, put her apron on and join in on the cooking.

When we were done making it Tara and I sat down at the table and discussed what I had found.

"So let me get this straight," Tara said as she finished her bowl. "You think Bill tricked you into drinking his blood on that first night?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but the information he had in his office makes it seem like he knew a lot more about me than he let on. I don't think he knew for sure I could hear thoughts, but he must have had some clue about me that made him come to Bon Temps."

"You don't believe he came to reclaim the old house?" Tara asked, a bit sarcastically.

"Not anymore. If he really cared that much about the house then why would he abandon it just because I left? This might sound crazy, but I think he came to Bon Temps just to find me and figure out what I am."

"It doesn't sound crazy," said Tara. "It did seem weird the way you two met. And you have a point, the only times Bill fed you his blood is when you were unconscious."

"The things I need to know," I said, "are how Bill found out about me and was he acting alone. He claimed he doesn't care about his maker, but I saw how she can force him to do things. If Lorena is after me for some reason, I have to find out."

"But how?" Tara asked, "We don't even know where Bill is. He could be in China by now!"

"Bill's in New Orleans," I said. I hadn't felt good about lying to Tara and Sam earlier, and now it just seemed ridiculous. "Eric told me."

"What?" Tara said. I was actually expecting her to be a lot more outraged. Last I had heard, she was not too fond of him. Then I remembered Eric had been the only one to insist I was still alive when everyone else had given up. "When did you see Eric?"

"Last night," I confessed. "He felt me as soon as I got back, since I have his blood in me."

"That means..."

I nodded. "Bill knows I'm back, too. I have to find him before he finds me."

Tara stood up and wrapped her arms around me. "Be careful, Sookie. I love you, and I'm not going to lose you again."

We discussed my mysteries for a while longer before switching over to girl talk about her and Sam.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I forgot! I promised Sam I'd work the evening shift. I gotta go get ready." She paused and looked at me. "Are you alright here alone? I can call Sam and explain..."

I shook my head. "Go, Tara, I'll be fine."

She looked at me skeptically. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone," she said. "I'll call you later."

We hugged again and then I was alone in my house once more. I felt exhausted and decided to lay down for a while. I doubted I'd get any sleep considering how many thoughts I had racing through my mind, but I was asleep within minutes.

I woke to the sun going down. It was a strange feeling and I was disoriented for a moment. My little nap had turned into a few hours, but I was ready to move into action. It was as if I had woken with a strong purpose. I was going to get things done tonight.

I took a very quick shower and pulled my hair up into a bun. When it dried I would be able to pull it down and I'd have soft waves. I added a little make-up, thinking just in case it was Bill in that house, and also thinking a little about Eric. Not that I wanted him to kiss me again, but a girl could still want to be desirable, right? I decided jeans and a tank top were the perfect investigation outfit and headed downstairs to nourish myself.

There were a few quick microwave meals in the freezer so I helped myself to one that looked the most filling. Now that I had made the decision to investigate, I felt like I couldn't get out of the house fast enough. My dinner was done in five minutes and I was out the door.

As I was locking the door I noticed there was a note posted just below the peephole. I unfolded it and read the words:

"_Lover,_

_I have business to take care of tonight. I will come for you when it is finished. Stay out of trouble._

_E"_

Eric's note gave me pause. I had promised not to seek out Bill until I had talked to Eric again, but I reasoned I wasn't really breaking that promise. I wanted to be offended that he was telling me what to do once again, but I had to admit it felt nice to know I wasn't alone in this hunt for answers. Somehow I knew that if Eric was helping me, we'd get to the bottom of it. Maybe once my questions were answered I could actually enjoy a kiss from Eric without thinking of Bill.

_Stay out of trouble- _I ran inside to grab a silver chain necklace and a bottle of True Blood just in case the vampire in Bill's house was hungry and dangerous. The walk across the cemetery went faster than usual and I was nearly winded by the time I reached the house.

I could feel the empty space inside the house where a human mind should be and knew that Jessica was still here. I took a deep breath and knocked. It's never a good idea to surprise a vampire! She wasn't the most intimidating vampire, but a lot had changed over the past year and I didn't know who I would meet- a bloodthirsty predator or a lost little teenager.

Jessica's familiar red hair appeared in front of me, her eyes streaked with bloody tears even though it looked like she had just showered. She was barefoot and not the least bit scary.

"Jessica?" I asked. I didn't want her to know about my snooping earlier, so I played dumb. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at me and sniffled. "Sookie? I thought you were dead!" I found myself wrapped up in yet another hug. This being-thought-dead thing was kind of getting old.

"Nope, right here. Are you hungry?" I offered, untangling myself from her cold embrace.

Her eyes squinted up and she began to cry. "That is so sweet, Sookie. You shouldn't have! You're such a nice person, I don't deserve..." she broke off as her sobs grew harder.

"Jessica!" I said, putting an arm around her. "It's alright, it's not like I was going to drink it myself. Come on, let's sit down and you can tell me why you're sleeping here."

I led the poor girl to the kitchen table and helped her sit down. Bill never got around to buying a microwave so I figured she'd have to drink it cold. Jessica didn't seem to mind and slurped it down in seconds. Shivering a little at the speed, I was really glad I brought the blood.

"Now tell me what's going on," I coaxed her.

"It's all my fault! I'm just trying to be a good childe to Bill, but Hoyt just doesn't understand! I mean, he basically wants me to deny my maker, and I just can't do that. But at the same time, I can't do what Bill wants me to and still be a good girlfriend. It's all a huge mess." She looked down at the table and sniffled some more.

Completely confused, I asked her for more. "What exactly is Bill asking you to do?"

"He wants me to... you know... get to know your brother. In a biblical way. Not that I have anything against Jason! Lord knows he's the handsomest guy in Bon Temps. But I have Hoyt and monogamy is really important to humans."

I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open in a good impression of a trout. "Bill wants you to sleep with my brother?"

Jessica nodded dejectedly. "And I'd totally do it, too. I want to make Bill proud of me, and I'll do anything I can do help! Plus, sex with Jason isn't exactly a chore."

"And you told Hoyt all this?" I shook my head, trying to imagine that conversation.

"I told Hoyt that of course I wasn't going to do it, but maybe I could just spend more time with Jason. They are best friends after all. Anyway, Hoyt completely overreacted and kicked me out. He said I have to choose between him and my maker, and that's not something I can do! I love Hoyt with all my heart, but I wouldn't even be here without Bill. What kind of choice is that?"

"It's not fair at all," I agreed with her. "Jess, did you ask _why_ Bill wants you to sleep with Jason?"

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, he said to just start with the sex and try and build a relationship. Find out what I could from him, and that if we exchanged blood all the better. He did warn me that Jason's blood might be extra intoxicating and to be careful, but whatever. I've had Hoyt's blood plenty of times and I can control myself. Bill was acting like Jason's blood might be something special. Do you think it's because he's so handsome?"

I rolled my eyes at Jessica's words. She may be immortal but in a lot of ways she was still such a self-absorbed teenager. Still, it was kind of nice to have the attention off myself for a bit. Jessica was the only one so far who hadn't pressured me about where I had been the past year. I patted her hand sympathetically.

"It's hard to go against your maker," I said, making most of it up as I went along, "But it's something every vampire has to do at some point."

"Really?" Jessica sniffed hopefully.

"Sure," I said, "Remember in Dallas last year, when Bill's own maker was trying to control him? He slammed a TV over her head. And I doubt Pam's the most obedient childe ever."

Jessica nodded, smiling. "You're right, Sookie. If Bill wants to get Jason's blood he can do it his own damn self!" She frowned suddenly. "You won't tell him about this, will you? It was kind of supposed to be a secret. I wasn't even supposed to tell Hoyt, but... it just came out."

"I won't tell if you won't," I promised. "I don't even know where Bill is."

"I probably shouldn't tell you then," Jessica said hesitantly. "He ordered me not to tell anyone where he was. Most people think he's in South America."

"But if I guessed New Orleans and you nodded, that wouldn't be telling, would it?"

She smiled slyly and nodded. "Of course not!"

I winked at her. "You should probably go talk to Hoyt," I suggested. I was eager to tell Eric what I had learned and see what he thought.

"You think he'll forgive me?" She asked.

I reassured the young vampire for a few more minutes and then said goodbye. I walked back to my own home and wondered about what Jessica had told me.

It sounded like once Bill was sure I was gone, he had set his sights on the other Stackhouse. Did he suspect that Jason was a fairy too? He must know that my brother couldn't hear thoughts. Maybe he had some other 'gift' that we didn't know about yet. What was Bill up to?

_Next up: Eric's back! Can you believe its been a whole day without him?_


	6. Looking Out

_Thanks for waiting everyone! I'm going on a much-needed vacation this week, so I'll be completely gone until Nov. 13th. I'll give you a clue to where I'm going: Aloha!_

_Special shout-out to Lover-Eric-Damon for being the first to review last chapter! Thank you so much for all the Favorites & reviews. They mean a LOT!_

_Again, sorry for any mistakes, please let me know if you see any! Still need a beta (hint hint)._

_Enjoy!_

**PART SIX: Looking Out**

The night was getting later and I settled in on my couch, determined to comb over Bill's files one more time. Taking the elastic out I let my hair fall in waves around my shoulders. Mentally I summarized what I had learned from the day:

Bill was in New Orleans yet had Jessica spying on Jason. It was becoming clear to me that Bill had an interest in my blood and family history. I always knew my gift was valuable to vampires, but I don't think it had occurred to me what lengths one would go to in order to have me. However, his end game was still a mystery to me. So he got me to drink his blood, then what? Was it for his own selfish reasons, or was there someone higher up commanding him to do it?

Either way I didn't see myself getting any more answers in Bon Temps. I had to go to New Orleans.

Glancing at the clock, I realized I really couldn't go without talking to Eric first. For one thing, I had no money, and for another, I owed it to him. Eric had been honest and unbelievably supportive since I got back. Who knew he could be so sensitive and giving? He had hinted at it in Dallas with the way he treated Godric but it felt completely different having that gaze on me. It was almost... loving. And his kiss in the kitchen had been enough to make me forget most of my troubles, at least for a minute.

As if he could sense my thoughts, I heard a loud engine pull up in my driveway that could only be Eric's Corvette. Feeling foolish, I stood up and smoothed down my shirt and shook out my curls.

I met him at the door and it was as if I had been waiting years for him. I didn't know how to explain to him what had happened in Bill's old mansion- how it felt seeing that layer of dust on our old bed, and how I said goodbye to my former love. Without the ghost of my relationship between us, I felt closer to Eric than I ever had before. How do you tell someone that?

Instead I let my body show him and wrapped my arms around his thick chest. I inhaled his smell and remembered how safe I felt when he rescued me in Dallas. Smiling, I gave him a squeeze and pulled back to look at his eyes.

I almost let out a laugh, seeing the big vampire's face. Eric looked completely perplexed and dazed. His eyebrows were doing the cutest crinkle and his mouth began to twitch upwards.

"You missed me?" He said, as if trying to figure it out why I would voluntarily touch him.

"Just happy to see you," I replied, dropping one of my hands and moving towards the couch.

Eric's hand grabbed my hipbone before I could go too far and stopped my momentum. He pulled me close and suddenly our lips were touching. I pressed up against him, enjoying the feeling of our bodies melding into each other. My lips parted and I felt his tongue slowly caress mine, testing the waters for the first time. My tongue began to return the favor, sliding in and exploring his mouth. His hands slid together on my lower back and began rubbing circles. I nearly purred and stood on tiptoes, trying to get impossibly closer. I didn't think even a breeze could blow between us and I didn't want him to stop.

As soon as I thought that, Eric pulled back. I let out a groan of disappointment. Maybe was he the mind reader after all.

"I'm happy to see you, too," he said with a smirk. I glared at him but got some satisfaction out of the fact that his pants were now a bit too tight. _Serves him right,_ I thought as my eyes ran over his form. His black shirt was hugging his muscles and the buttons were undone to the point of distraction. "My business took most of the night but there is much still to do. Shall we?"

He gestured politely at the couch as if it were a business meeting and he hadn't just ravished me in the entryway. I decided to play along and sat at in the chair adjacent so our bodies wouldn't be tempted to touch.

Eric simply raised an eyebrow and sat on the couch alone. Stretching out his long legs, his ankle brushed up against my bare foot seemingly accidentally. Nonchalantly shuffling the pages from Bill's house, he met my eyes completely innocently. "Someone's been getting into trouble, Miss Stackhouse."

Something about his tone made my lady parts quiver and I couldn't help rubbing my foot against his. Was I really playing footsie with the vampire Sheriff in my living room? I cleared my throat. "I went to Bill's house today," I began, "with Tara. We wanted to see if those files I found were still in his office."

"Mmhmm," Eric murmured, paging through the files as if he wasn't setting my body on fire with just his ankle, "interesting. I seem to remember you promising me that you wouldn't do anything foolish, and yet there you were breaking into a vampire's house unprotected." His eyebrow quirked up and he finally met my eyes.

It was as if I was in the principal's office again at Bon Temps High, only my principal had never been this sexy. I tried to remind myself that I was an adult now and had acted completely responsibly. "Tara was with me, and anyway you said Bill was in New Orleans. What's the worst that could have happened?" I decided not to tell him about how I almost woke up a sleeping vampire.

"And?"

"And we found Jessica." Eric leaned forward, all business. I could tell he hadn't expected that part. "Bill asked her to seduce Jason and get him to exchange blood. She told Hoyt and they had a fight, so now she's living at Bill's old place. Well, not living, you know what I mean."

Eric sat up more straight and my foot felt lonely at the loss of his body. It seemed we were into serious-mode now. "What do you make of all this?"

I hadn't expected Eric to ask my opinion, so I took a moment to collect my theories. "I found a picture of my cousin Hadley that was taken in New Orleans, which makes me think she told someone about my ability. Bill must have heard about it and came to Bon Temps to find out if it was true. I think he made the link between me and the Fae and was trying to use me for something. Then when I left he didn't have a reason to stick around, although something changed recently to make him want to start trying again with Jason. What I don't know is if he's acting alone or if someone sent him. Also, what did he want with me? I get using my mind reading skills, but what beyond that?"

I sighed after my rant and Eric was quiet a minute. "I think you're right, Sookie," he said. It helped my pride to have Eric agree with me, and I smiled at him. "Bill knew about your ability before he met you. He tricked you into exchanging blood right away so he could influence you. As for what he wanted you for, just having you is a prize in itself. Many vampires- important ones, too- would pay good money or give away favors to have you in their possession. Fairy blood is rare and telepathy is even more rare. If Bill 'owned' you, he could have any vampire in the world on the hook."

"So he was using me to gain power?" I asked, frowning. It left a bad taste in my mouth. "Then why didn't he do anything when he had me? And more importantly, why isn't he here now that I'm back?"

Eric shook his head. "I don't know. Which is why I'm leaving for New Orleans tonight."

"Finally!" I exclaimed, standing up. "Let's go! I'll pack a bag. How long are we going to be there for? I mean, it's not like I have a job or anything, so there's no deadline. I just want to know how many clothes to pack."

"No." Eric stood up off the couch and towered over me. He crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his eyes solemnly. "You will not be coming. Haven't you been paying attention? Bill has been scheming to get you, and who knows what other vampires are trying as well. It is too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" I argued, crossing my arms and glaring back. I almost laughed at how serious Eric was trying to look, but my anger won over amusement. "You think this is my first rodeo? I've been dealing with vampires since the minute y'all walked into my town!"

"You have met vampires, yes," Eric conceded, "but New Orleans is the capital. This will be a whole new class of vampires. Do you even know what the Queen is capable of?"

"Biting me, I imagine," I said with a roll of my eyes. I was beginning to get seriously pissed off. "Do you really expect me to sit here in Bon Temps while you go investigate _my_ life? I don't think so. I'm going, end of story. The only question is are we driving together, or am I gonna follow you in my own damn car?" I glared at Eric for good measure, daring him to disagree.

"If you insist on coming along then you must agree to the following conditions." I put my hand over my heart and nodded, amused by his authoritative tone. "You do what I say, when I say it. If we get into a situation there will be no time to argue. Understand?"

I nodded. "Got it. You're the boss, mister."

"This is serious, Sookie," Eric said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "The Queen can be extremely dangerous and we don't know who we can trust. I need you to promise you'll listen to me and be safe."

I was touched by how concerned he was. "I promise, Eric. I'm grateful you're helping me." I really was, too. I realized Eric didn't have to get into all this mess with me, but rather was choosing to put his neck out and investigate his own fellow vampires. On an impulse, I leaned up and kissed him softly. "Thank you," I whispered.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to thank me properly," he murmured against my lips. I could feel him smirking and I ran away, receiving a light swat on my rear end as I left.

Racing up the stairs I called back, "So how many days should I pack for?"

Staring at my closet, the realization hit me that we were going into the lion's den and didn't exactly have a plan. Somehow, the knowledge that Eric would be with me kept me calm and I wasn't quite as worried as I thought I should be.

"I can leave the bar for as long as a week," Eric said, suddenly in my room. "Any longer and I'll have to make further arrangements with Pamela."

I nodded, throwing some jeans, tops, and dresses into a duffel bag. I figured I didn't have proper "meeting-royalty" attire anyway, so it didn't really matter what I brought. Now that we were finally moving, I couldn't wait to get out of Bon Temps.

Within a few minutes I was all ready to go. I left a quick message for Tara on her voicemail, letting her know I would be gone a few days. Paranoia kicked in and I didn't tell her exactly where I was going, in the bizarre chance someone was monitoring our phone calls. I figured she'd be able to guess my location anyway.

Eric was waiting for me on the front porch, twirling his Corvette keys in his hand. It suddenly occurred to me that Eric could have flown to my place, then flown directly to New Orleans. It probably would have been faster and more stealthy anyway. Yet for some reason he had chosen to drive.

"You were going to take me with you all along, weren't you?" I deduced. After all, why bring the Corvette unless he expected to leave with me in it?

Eric just smirked and opened the passenger door with a flourish.

"I can't believe you, you conniving deceitful..." I grumbled, getting in the little sports car.

"If I hadn't made you promise, you would have been fighting me the entire trip. This way I have your word that you will listen and obey reason. I wasn't kidding, Sookie, you're about to enter an entirely new level of vampire politics."

"It was a sneaky move anyway," I pouted. "And it means I get to pick the music the entire drive there." Eric let out a groan and I turned the volume up.

_Let the games begin,_ I thought.

_I know this chapter was much shorter than my last ones, but I wanted to get something out before I leave for my trip! Plus, Eric smoochies! Woohoo! Please remember to review. I love hearing your guesses about what's going on with that devious Bill!_

_Aloha!_


	7. Oh, Dear

I'm sorry it took me so long to update. It's been hard getting back into the swing of things after my vacation! It was lovely, thank you for all the well-wishes. I hope this monster-chapter makes up for my absence! It's my longest ever.

Wow, 78 story alerts! I cannot believe it. I never imagined the response to this fic would be like this. Thank you all so much.  
>LadyKT was the first to review AGAIN last chapter, she is fast! StarKiss666 was a close second though.<p>

This chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy, but the next one should have some more action.  
>Thanks to the Viking Answer Lady for the historical facts :)<br>Shout-out next chapter to who can tell me where the 'wacky' quote is from!

PART SEVEN: Oh, Dear

I've driven to New Orleans once before, on a trip in high school. It had taken nearly six hours, but being trapped in a van with nearly twenty teenagers plus our chaperones had felt like an eternity. By the time we reached the Big Easy I was so exhausted from all the voices that I had to spend the whole first day in the hotel. Mrs. Edwards was the lucky teacher assigned to stay back with me, and I fell asleep listening to her venomous thoughts about how the crazy Stackhouse girl made her miss her one vacation of the year. I heard from her mind she was having a relationship with my history teacher and was disappointed that she wouldn't be spending her day with him. My shields were so frazzled by then I nearly yelled at her to leave and go screw him already.

The second day of the trip was a blur of museums, cemeteries, and old plantation estates. Being from Bon Temps I'd never been around that many people before, and NOLA had a population of over a million people. I lasted until nightfall, then fell asleep exhausted. I had no real memories of our third and last day, just the feeling of relief when I got back to Gran's peaceful house.  
>I wasn't necessarily looking forward to returning there, but I supposed I would be around vampires for most of the time, and therefore mostly silence.<p>

Eric's little sports car made the 300-plus miles fly by, especially due to his lead foot. Even Jason drove more carefully than this! At least I had some music to distract me, and I sang along tunelessly. Eric grimaced as I hit a high note, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

As the third Taylor Swift song in a row came over the radio, I realized I didn't know that much about the vampire sitting next to me. Actually, I was getting a bit bored of the silent road trip.

"Ever play car games?" I asked him. "Jason and I used to try and play some on long car trips to visit Mom's family, but it was hard 'cuz of my ability. Twenty questions never worked because I could hear what he was thinking, and Jason always gave up when it was my turn. Instead we'd have to spot out of state license plates, count red cars, stuff like that."

"I never travelled much by car," Eric told me. "When I was human we would ride horses or walk everywhere. I never really played games while on the move, although we did sing songs."

"What kind of songs?" I asked, intrigued. It was so odd to think that the man sitting next to me had been alive before cars, radios, and all the other modern inventions. I wondered what would seem ancient to my grandchildren one day.

"There were all kinds, some about fallen heroes and others about gods. Most of the songs were inappropriate to be sung around a lady such as yourself. Someone would have a whistle made out of bone or wood, and it helped pass the time. A harp or lyre would have been better, but no one really carried that with them on a long march."

"I'd like to hear it sometime," I said, imagining what it would be like to hear music from a bygone era. It made me think of my Gran's love for antebellum history. "If you think my fancy lady-ears can handle it," I teased.

"There are more fun things I can show you," Eric teased back. "But they require an instrument of a different kind."

I shook my head at his innuendo. It had been a while since anyone had flirted with me and it felt nice to be reminded that I was still a normal girl. Most men my age thought I was too crazy to flirt with, and Bill had always treated me like porcelain. I supposed it was from his days as a human, when women were expected to be ladies all the time- even in private. I was curious about the women Eric had known, and I asked him.

"A bit like you, actually," he replied thoughtfully, reaching out and twirling his finger through a strand of my hair. "Golden hair, worn long and down. They were strong and independent like you, as well. Our women had to be, as the men often went Viking and someone had to be in charge of the household. I can say none of them ever caused me as much trouble as you, though."

"Hey!" I said, indignant. "You're the one who causes me all the trouble." I couldn't believe he was saying that, although I caught a slight smirk telling me he may be kidding. Who could tell with Eric? From the moment I met Eric he had brought me trouble. It was his employee Long Shadow who tried to kill me the first time, and then there was the entire Dallas fiasco. Really, he brought nothing but trouble. I was the innocent one here.

"And how exactly did we meet? Oh yes, a woman walked into my bar with photos of murdered women and began questioning my employees. By the way, that was a very stupid thing to do. I could have had you killed for even asking questions, yet you just walked in anyway completely unafraid. Do you have any idea what every vampire in Fangtasia was thinking that night with you in that white dress? You caused me more trouble than you know."

I waved my hand. "That was so long ago, you've caused plenty of trouble since then," I said, ignoring his comment about my dress. How on earth did he remember these things? And how could he even think of suggesting I was more trouble than him?

"Oh yes, and tonight I had assumed we were driving all this way to answer your questions and find your missing lover. My mistake," Eric said in a frustrated voice.

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, but still. He had a point- it was extremely generous of him to take me with him. I wanted to thank him, but at the same time I still didn't completely trust him. Bill's betrayal was too fresh, and I wasn't going to forget how Eric tricked me into drinking his own blood. "Why are you doing this then? I mean, Bill never seemed like your favorite person anyway. The minute I met you it seemed like you were trying to get me away from him, yet now you're taking me straight to him."

"I have lived a very long time, Sookie," he said after a while. "This has not happened by chance. When an opponent suddenly withdraws from battle for no apparent reason, you do not sit back and say 'well, that went well!'. Rather you learn where he went and what he is planning next. This way you will never be caught unawares. The best offense is a good defense."

"Eric! That's not how the saying goes," I said. He did have a point, though. For me the trip to New Orleans had been about confronting Bill, finding out how he knew about my abilities and what he wanted from them. It appeared Eric was playing a different game entirely. "Wait, what exactly are you battling him for?"

I wasn't sure what answer I was expecting, but I certainly didn't think he'd pull over. In a second the car had stopped on the side of the road and Eric was staring at me.

"For you, Sookie," he said as if it were obvious. "From the moment you walked into my life I have wanted you. Unfortunately you declared in front of everyone that night that you were His, something that I'm not sure you knew the full meaning of. I have watched as he courted you and took advantage of you. I have had to stand by while he claimed your innocence and tasted your blood. Do you not know how difficult that has been?" I could hear the anger and frustration in his voice and it quickly sobered up my joking mood.

Not knowing how to answer, I looked down at my hands in my lap. I hadn't expected him to become so serious, having been accustomed to his jokes and innuendo. This wasn't like the Eric I knew- although I had seen this side before. It had only happened when he was speaking to Godric that it felt as if the true Eric was showing, and I had a feeling I was meeting him for the first time tonight.

Eric lifted my chin up and met my eyes. "You asked what I'm fighting for, and the answer is you. I want you to be Mine, Sookie, and I want you to know how seriously I take that. When I get what I want I cherish it, and fight to the death to protect it. When I first met you I was overwhelmed by your beauty and I knew I wanted to have your body, but that was it. The more we worked together you impressed me with your wits and your spirit, yet I still didn't realize how deeply I felt. Even though I wanted to take you from Bill I was still willing to sacrifice you to those fanatics at the church. I never should have sent you in alone but..."

"I know," I interrupted him. "I spoke to Godric that day. You told me then not to speak of love, but that's what you felt for him isn't it? At least, as close as a vampire can get to love. What is that quote? 'Love makes you do the wacky'? Well, I guess I kind of understand why you sent me to that church. I probably would have done the same thing if Bill had been kidnapped."

"Not anymore," he said firmly. "When you disappeared all those months ago I realized what you meant to me. You must understand Sookie, this isn't easy for a vampire to say, but I... care for you. I swear to you I would not do the same thing again. Losing you once was enough. Thirteen months should pass in the blink of an eye for a vampire my age, and yet with your absence it felt an eternity. I cannot imagine what it would feel like were you to die."

I took a deep breath. It appeared we were having this conversation now. "I don't really know what to say, Eric. It's been a year for you but to me it was just a few days ago that I woke up in Bill's bed. I know I can never be with him again, and I've said goodbye to our relationship. I'm ok with that, really. It's over between him and I. And you've been so sweet." He grimaced at the word, and I realized a vampire probably didn't appreciate being called 'sweet'. "You know what I mean. You don't have to help me, and yet you are. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you right now. I need you to help me figure this out but I also need you to keep me sane. It's been so nice having someone to talk to about this and have them understand. The kissing has been nice too, and... I think I could really come to care about you too."

I saw a smile begin to appear on his face and as much as I loved to see it, I knew I had to be completely honest with him. I didn't want to hurt him after everything he had done for me. "However, I'd be a fool not to have learned something from my experience with Bill. He was my first love and I threw myself into it without reading the warning signs. I don't want to make the same mistake again. I don't want to rush into anything."

Now Eric took my hand in his, fingers rubbing little circles on my palm. "Take your time, my lover. I am confident you will yield to me eventually. A woman like you does not come along often and I am prepared to wait for however long it takes. That said, I hope you will not take too much time on your decision as there are much more pleasurable things we could be doing."  
>He raised my hand to his lips and brushed the softest kiss with his cold lips that somehow left me feeling hot all over. Releasing my hand he turned back to the steering wheel. "Now if you're done seducing me, we have many miles to cover before dawn." The corvette roared back to life and we were on the road again.<p>

I laughed at his audacity and began to relax. Eric didn't seem upset that I had somewhat rejected him and I felt relieved. I hadn't had a boyfriend in 26 years before Bill came into my life. When I had met him it felt like all reason had flown out the window. In fact I was a bit disgusted with myself at how easily I had been manipulated. I had always prided myself on being so independent and self-respecting. How had I gotten sucked in so quickly? Was I making the same mistake with Eric? I wanted to take things slowly and carefully this time and luckily it didn't sound like he had a problem with that.

We lapsed into silence as I thought more about what Eric said. It felt like a comfortable silence, and I realized Eric himself probably had a lot to think about too. He was driving into his queen's territory with a part-fairy telepath looking to hunt down a former constituent. The more I thought about it the more nervous I became.

"What is it, Sookie?" Eric asked with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean?" I asked, startled out of my thoughts.

"I can hear your heart beating, it's like a hummingbird. Is something wrong?"  
>"I guess," I admitted. "It's just that I don't really have a plan or anything. I'm beginning to get nervous about seeing Bill again. What do I even say to him?"<p>

"You don't have to say anything to him, lover," Eric said and squeezed my leg reassuringly. "I have a plan. As I said, you must do exactly as I say and you will be safe with me. I promise." He looked so sure of himself that I wanted to trust him, but I remembered the lesson I had learned from Bill.

"Eric you can't just say there's a plan and expect me to be okay with it! I know we're going into vampire territory, but that doesn't mean I have to be left in the dark. This is my life too, you know. So spill, how are we gonna do this? I don't even know where we're going."

His lips were pursed and it occurred to me that he was unaccustomed to explaining himself. Well too bad, because I wasn't some sheep that was gonna follow him just anywhere! He spoke slowly, as if trying to keep down his temper. "There are many things about vampire politics that will be foreign to you. For one, I cannot just walk into the palace and ask for a meeting between you and Bill. He knows you are back on Earth as he has had your blood but hasn't contacted you. For now, I'd like to keep it that way. We don't want to alert the queen or any other vampires to your presence until we are sure who knows about your heritage and abilities. No, instead we need to get to Bill without anyone knowing it's you."

"So how are we gonna do that?" I asked. I hadn't realized how complicated it would be. Eric had a point- walking into the palace would be akin to serving myself up on a plate to whatever vampire wanted me the most. Still, I knew I had to find Bill and get some answers.

"There are ways to disguise who you are. There is a witch in the city with whom I have kept in contact from previous affairs. Tomorrow night we can meet with her and create a glamour for you. That way even your own cousin won't recognize you, let alone any vampire who may have seen your photo."

I nodded- I hadn't even thought of that possibility. Bill or others may have people on the lookout for me, especially since he should have sensed I was back on Earth. Sure, I could cut my hair or something but I'm sure Hadley would recognize me no matter what. It's not like we had a lot of other family! "Won't people wonder why you have a random human with you when you visit the palace?"

"Many vampires keep pets, and occasionally they bring them along just in case they don't like what their host is serving."

I wrinkled my nose at the idea. It made it sound like humans were just pocket snacks in case you got hungry later. Which I supposed they were to a vampire. Then I realized Eric wanted me to be one of those pets and I felt my anger rising. "Look Eric, I know I said I was grateful to you and everything, but there is no way in hell I am gonna be your pet. I knew there was some reason you were doing this!"

"Relax, lover," Eric purred. "I will not ask you to do anything against your will. But I warned you that this trip would be dangerous. Do you have a better idea?"

"No," I grumbled. "Fine. But no biting!"

Eric laughed in his sexy way and said "Trust me lover, when the time is right you'll be begging me to bite you."

Honestly, I didn't doubt it. Biting had always been a part of Bill's and my sex life, and the thought of Eric sinking his fangs into me had me all tingly. Still, I wasn't about to sacrifice my pride for a good orgasm- no matter how long it had been.

Eric and I discussed the plan for the next day a while longer before lapsing into silence. The mile signs were getting smaller and smaller as we drove to New Orleans. The drive had gone by too quickly and I was getting an anxious knot in the pit of my stomach. Eric pulled the Corvette over to the exit lane and I watched the houses go by much too quickly. It was nearing 5:00 in the morning and my body was feeling all the stress of the previous day. I laid my head back and closed my eyes when a large hand began to massage the back of my neck.

"Mm," I let out a small moan. "Feels good." Eric responded with a quiet chuckle and I let him continue his ministrations. I would have been content to let him continue until the sun came up, and I let myself drift into a sleeping state.

Much too soon the car slowed to a stop and the engine died down, and a voice said "Lover, wake up. We are here."  
>I opened my eyes and stretched. Surprisingly my body didn't feel too bad after sitting in a car for hours. "Well," I grumbled, "I guess it's time to meet your friend then."<p>

"He's not a friend, Sookie. Franklin Mott is a very unstable vampire and we have to go about this cautiously. You are a good-hearted person and although it has worked in my favor, we are going to have to toughen you up somewhat. Not everyone is a friend. Say not a word to him about who you are or what we are there to do; he must think you are some average fangbanger that I have brought with me. Trust me, you don't want him looking too closely at you."

"Got it," I said sullenly. "I'm a happy-meal with legs."

Eric again pulled my chin to look at him as he stared into my eyes. "Listen to me, my lover. You will be safe here. Yes, Franklin is dangerous but I would not have brought you to him were I not absolutely sure I could protect you. In just an hour he and I will be dead to the world anyway, and we will be the truly vulnerable ones. Do not forget the power you have inside you."

I couldn't help it, I started to tear up at his words. It felt so reassuring to have someone looking out for me. My heart felt a little more courageous and I reminded myself why we were doing this. Squaring my shoulders, I unbuckled and got out of the little sports car. Eric was by my side in a flash, holding our modest bags.

"Remember what I said, Sookie," he advised. "Eyes down, and do not address any vampire directly. Basically, think 'Ginger'."

Eric took my hand and lead me up to the door. The house in front of us was surprisingly normal. It was a little one-story brick building with a small front lawn and a mailbox out front. There was a black Mustang in the driveway that I assumed belonged to him. Jeez, what was it with vampires and sports cars? The window shades were drawn and I couldn't hear anything in the house. I used my ability and checked inside- sure enough there was only one mind in there and it registered as vampire.

Eric knocked once, loudly, and squeezed my hand before releasing it, shifting his weight slightly to be between me and the entryway. In an instant the door opened and one of the creepiest vampires I'd ever met was standing before us. He had sallow pale skin and sunken brown eyes. His face was all sharp lines and a strong chin, like a movie star from the 80s complete with a beautiful head of brown hair on top. I would have found him attractive were it not for the major ick-factor I was getting off of him.

The brunette vampire broke out into a huge grin, exclaiming, "Northman! So good to see you. I was beginning to worry you'd never get here." His eyes slipped to my face for an instant and I dropped my gaze just in time. I felt heat rushing to my face as I felt rather than saw his stare take in my body. I suddenly had a strong urge to shower.

"Mott," Eric replied a bit more coldly. I wasn't used to seeing vampires as dramatic and strange as Franklin and it was giving me an odd feeling. I slid closer to Eric just in case. "I appreciate you hosting us for the night. I assure you we won't be any trouble."

Franklin moved aside to let us in, telling us how glad he was to have visitors. I followed Eric closely into the house, which was decorated darkly and a bit eccentric. It seemed smaller than I had expected, with just a sofa and one wooden table and no chairs surrounding it. I supposed he didn't have the opportunity for dinner parties very often. The living room was tidy but gave off the sense of not being lived in. There was art displayed that looked to be from Asia and Africa, although I never took an art class so I wasn't really sure. There was a cabinet holding ancient-looking weapons of all kinds; daggers, arrowheads, and garrotes. Most of them looked used.

"Your pet may stay in the upper floor," he said, not even glancing at me. "I do have humans here from time to time, so there is a fully working toilet. No food in the kitchen, I'm afraid- I don't usually feed them, you know." He laughed a little too hard at his own joke, to which Eric showed not even a smirk. I got the feeling Eric wasn't a huge fan of Franklin's.

For the most part I was ignored while Franklin gave us the 'grand tour', which consisted of two modest bedrooms, one with a twin bed that gave me the creeps. It was all white and floral, reminding me of something Mrs. Fortenberry would design if she had a daughter. However, seeing it in a vampire's home was just disturbing. The next room housed a giant king-sized bed on a blood-red carpet. The sheets in there were black and I didn't want to think about the stains they might be hiding. The most disturbing part were the photographs- they were larger than life-sized depictions of men and women engaging in violent sex acts, spread all about the room. All the prints were in black and white except for the splashes of red where any blood was spilled. Framed above the bed was an especially disturbing one of a woman in a white dress, eyes wide open but with her neck bent at an unnatural angle and laying in a pool of blood.

"Feel free to use this room. I'm not sure how it is for sleeping, but I've always felt quite comfortable in this bed," the vampire said with a leer in my direction.

I inched out of the doorway and Eric must have noticed, as he asked "And what of your daychambers, Mott? It is getting quite early."

"Right you are! Please, come this way." We were lead back to the living room where our host pushed aside a wall-sized tapestry picturing a koi pond. Hidden underneath was a keypad and a steel door. "We'll be sharing, I'm afraid," he said with a smile. "But completely light-tight, I assure you. It'll be just like a slumber party!"

"I thank you for your hospitality," Eric said. "My human and I have some issues to take care of, and I will join you shortly."

Franklin nodded, "Of course, of course. The code is 666 for when you are ready." I rolled my eyes internally at his choice of numbers. Really, couldn't he be a bit more creative? I was beginning to wonder if his elevator went to the top floor, if you know what I mean.

I sighed with relief when the vampire's figure disappeared behind the tapestry and turned to Eric. He raised a finger to his lips and motioned towards the bedrooms. Grabbing my bag, I followed him into the girlish room with the twin bed- there was no way I was going anywhere near Franklin's 'love nest'.

Once inside Eric closed the door and turned to me. "I am assuming it is safe to speak here," he said, sitting on the bed and pulling me to him. I stepped between his legs and with our height difference I was eye level with him. "Mott's daychamber is steel, and he doesn't strike me as the type to install cameras. Still, let us use discretion."

"Eric's hands were running up my arms soothingly and I let him wash away the sick feeling our host had left with me. "I don't like it here," I admitted. I hated feeling weak but I figured I could share it with Eric.

"Nor should you, lover. This is not a place for someone like you. Tomorrow night we will be in the palace, and one step closer to ending this business. That's the goal, right?"

I nodded and he pulled me even closer into a tight hug. I breathed in his scent, reminding myself to take it slow and not get too attached this early on. I pushed away from him and sat on the bed, purposefully trying not to touch his body. Getting back to business, we went over the plan again for the next day. Eric wrote down a few of the numbers I'd need and even left me the keys for his precious car.

"Be careful tomorrow, Sookie," he said, once we had gone over the plan a second time. "I don't like the idea of you in New Orleans without me to protect you. Make sure you're back here before nightfall- let's not take any chances."

"I promise Eric. Thank you, for everything. I meant what I said in the car tonight, I really think I could-"

"Shhh, my Sookie," he said and pressed his mouth to mine. Compared to our other kisses this was incredibly chaste, yet nothing had warmed me as much as his lips now against mine. His lips did nothing but give and it felt like for the first time he was asking for nothing in return. I felt cherished and at peace. I melted into his arms and he lifted me off my feet, setting me down much too soon on the bed. Somehow he had managed to pull back the covers. Gently placing my head down on the pillow he moved to the foot of my bed. When he removed my shoes I picked my head up, to which he replied "Lay down, Sookie. Let me do this for you. We have a difficult few days ahead of us. Close your eyes and relax."

My feet bare, he rubbed my feet tenderly in little circles, first one and then the other. After a while I was purring like a kitten in the sun and I snuggled deeper into the pillows. I forgot about Franklin's creepy sex room, about Bill's betrayal, and even the terror of the fairy attacks. All I knew were Eric's hands on my skin and the soft sheets underneath me. I allowed myself to sink into bliss and soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

*************************************

_Thank you for reading you guys! Please remember to leave a review, they keep me going._ _I promise not to take so long updating next time!_


	8. Dreams

_I want to introduce everyone to my FABULOUS new beta,** Liz (islandvampirelizgurl)**! Thank you so much. The quality of this fic just raised 1000%.__ All remaining errors are mine._  
><em>Shout-out goes to<strong> nordiclover<strong> for being the first to review last chapter! But no one guessed the "love makes you do the wacky" quote. :(_

_This is the longest chapter yet, geez almost 4,000 words!_  
><em>It's also my first ever lemon chapter, so I hope you like it.<em>

**Chapter 8: Dreams**

I felt a tickling at the back of my knee and looked down into a pair of mischievous blue eyes.  
>"You fell asleep on me," he said dangerously.<p>

I gulped, preparing for what was next. While I had drifted off, he had been busy- I was undressed and laid beneath him wearing just my strapless bra and panties. Eric's own clothes had received the same treatment, and I felt his cool silky body slide up a little further. Large hands massaged my thighs as I unconsciously spread them a little wider. I shivered when his soft lips began planting kisses up my legs, avoiding my center and moving straight up to my stomach. I was determined to not let him know how much he was affecting me, but it was difficult. Warmth was pooling between my legs and I had to restrain myself from bucking my hips up into his body. A gasp burst through my lips as his tongue dipped into my navel.

Eric's eyes met mine for a second, triumph shining in their depths. At this point I didn't care about winning anymore. I grabbed a fistful of his beautiful hair and pulled him to me. Our lips crashed together and I searched his mouth for anything that would quell the passion I felt, rising deep inside of me. His tongue sought entrance into my mouth and I granted it willingly, wrapping my hands around his head and bringing us even closer together.

With a great thrust, Eric flipped our bodies so that I was now laying flat on top him, my breasts pressed achingly against his strong chest. Groaning with need, I rubbed myself teasingly over his naked member. He reached between us and, with a tear, the silky material that was my panties ripped apart. One expert finger teased my opening and I shuddered at the feeling of his skin on mine. I spread my legs eagerly, helping him reach my favorite spot. Reaching down between us I gripped his cock lightly, stroking up and down. A hiss escaped his lips and I could almost hear his fangs come down. Soon Eric put those fangs to work nibbling on my ear lobes, driving me crazy with lust. I brought my lips to his and teased those delicious fangs with my tongue. He seemed to purr in delight, so I tried again- sliding my tongue just hard enough to feed him a few drops of my blood. His eyes dilated and with a growl he thrust another finger into my core.  
>I was writhing on top of him, begging for more, when he removed his hand from between us. I whimpered in disappointment but he just chuckled.<br>With a gentle push on my shoulders he raised me up to a sitting position, and I found myself straddling his erection. Our eyes met and it was as if a torrent of electricity were passing between our bodies. My center was slick and ready and I thrust myself down on him, the sun shining bright between our intertwined bodies…

Wait a minute, the sun? My eyes opened with a jolt and I looked around me. I was still in the same creepy room I had fallen asleep in, but without the hunky blonde vampire underneath me. My face burned in embarrassment. I hadn't had a dream like that in... well, since I was last single! Honestly, it had only been a few days since I had sex with Bill- or a year, whichever way you looked at it. I felt a bit disgusted with my subconscious. Wasn't there a waiting period for dreams? My relationship with Bill was newly buried, the dirt not even settled on its grave and here I am making with the dream orgasms! Well, almost dream orgasms- I kind of woke up before we got to the best part.

Eric was really getting to me. I was really glad he had been dead to the world when I was having that dream- I couldn't imagine what he'd say if he knew I was having dirty thoughts about him!

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, I saw that it was 10:30. I was glad I had slept a good amount- the rest of the day was going to be busy. Sitting up, I thought about where to start. Admittedly, I was feeling a bit disoriented. Most of my life I had woken up in the same old bedroom, and only recently had I changed over to Gran's room. Still, at least that was in the same house. This morning, I was faced with a new bed, room, house, and even a new city!

I didn't like the thought of spending much time in Franklin's house, so I took a very quick (and slightly cold) shower and got dressed. I opted for a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt, not really knowing what would go best with my new look. Sitting on my luggage bag was a note from Eric. He must have written it after I fell asleep. I blushed, hoping he hadn't gotten a sense of the subject of my dreams.

Lover,  
>I trust you will remember our plans we discussed earlier. The witch's information is programmed into your phone. Be careful out there- not all enemies are confined to the night.<br>Return to the house at 4:00. I hope I do not need to stress the importance of discretion.

~E

I rolled my eyes at the words. He was talking to me like I was a child! I think I knew how to be careful during the day. My encounter with the fae had reinforced the importance of that, and I was determined to not get caught off guard again just because the sun was up.

Thanks to my rushed shower, I was out the door by 11:00. I felt better just being outside of the creepy house and breathed a sigh of relief. Things didn't seem so bad when I was in the sunshine and ready to explore a new city. Looking at the address, I saw that the witch's shop was in the main part of the New Orleans, next to Audubon Park. I decided to head there first, not knowing how long it would take to disguise myself.

Driving Eric's corvette had always been a dream of mine, and I opened the door excitedly. After adjusting the seat and mirrors, I checked myself out- definitely a good look for me! Maybe I should start saving up for my own sportscar...

The engine revved heartily and I programmed the address into the car's navigation system and turned uptown. Parking was pretty easy to find, considering the time of day, and I locked the car up next to the beautiful park. Tulane University was nearby and I walked past groups of co-eds, rushing to and from class. Not wanting to meet a witch on an empty stomach, I stopped at a cafe off of St. Charles Avenue.

It was a bit too late for breakfast so I decided to order lunch instead. Ten minutes later, a plate of crawfish étouffée sat steaming in front of me and I tucked in. The table next to me had left their newspaper behind and I picked up the front page. Seeing the year was still so strange to me; it was hard to believe I had really been gone so long.

After finishing my lunch, I set off to find the shop. Eric's information told me it was called Pagan Poetry and I had very little trouble finding it. It looked old, as did most of the buildings in this part of New Orleans. Nestled between a tattoo parlour and a coffee shop, it looked like somewhere tourists would go to buy a souvenir voodoo doll. I hoped Eric knew what he was doing.

The door had little bells that chimed when I opened it, and I saw a bored young woman look up from behind the counter. "Welcome to Pagan Poetry," she said, "Let me know how I can help you." She had shiny red hair that was piled up on her head in a stylish topknot.

I took a peek into her mind to see if this was the witch I needed. Fuck, I'm bored... Don't even need the money, Octavia sure is a sadistic bitch to make me work the front desk. Wonder what's keeping her so busy...

Ah, so this wasn't Octavia. Eric had instructed me to mention her name and hopefully she would come and help me. "I'm looking for the owner," I said, walking closer to the counter. "Octavia Fant?"

The redhead straightened at the name, and her thoughts became a bit more focused. This must be her, Octavia said to let her know... "Of course," she said, smiling. "I'll go get her right away."

As soon as she disappeared through the back doorway, I took the opportunity to look around the shop. My first impression still stuck- there were a lot of knickknacks that tourists could pick up, but I noticed on the higher shelves there appeared to be jars and boxes full of miscellaneous items. They were labeled with strange latin words, but no price was listed. I supposed that those were for the actual practitioners that frequented the shop. Not that I was an expert in witchcraft or anything, but I was reassured to see some more 'legitimate' magical signs.

I heard the back door open and the young woman reentered, followed by an elderly African-American woman. She had soft grey hair pulled back out of her stern face and it was difficult to tell how old she was, but I guessed somewhere above sixty.

"You are the one Eric Northman sent," Octavia stated.

I nodded, reaching out to shake her hand. "You must be Octavia. Thank you for helping us out, I appreciate it."

"You brought the payment, I presume?" She asked. It appeared this witch was very focused. I could hear the younger woman's thoughts pick up in curiosity and I shut her out for the time being. Her thoughts were louder than normal, and I was getting distracted.

Again, I nodded and handed her an envelope from my bag. Eric hadn't told me how much he was paying her for this service, but I had to trust him.

After glancing inside, Octavia nodded and turned back to the door. "Follow me," she called. "Amelia, lock up the store and then come join us."

The older woman led me into a back room that reminded me a bit of my high school's library. It was more spacious than I would have guessed, and stocked with books and other odds and ends. In the middle, a space had been cleared and a mat like the ones we used in gym class was covering the floor.

"Sit here," she instructed, and I obeyed. She seemed to know what she was doing and I was just along for the ride. I was relieved she didn't ask any questions about me or what we were doing, and just accepted the payment and got to work. I couldn't be sure her assistant would do the same.

Sure enough, when the redhead came in the room her mind was screaming all sorts of questions, mostly focused on me. I learned from her thoughts that her name was Amelia and she was an apprentice of sorts for Octavia, working her way through the chain to become a full witch herself. I silently prayed that Octavia wouldn't let the beginner witch try anything out on me.

From my place on the mat, I watched as Octavia brought out various vials and combined their contents into a bowl. She had a fluidity about her that was hypnotizing to watch, and I lost count of all the ingredients she was mixing. Occasionally, she'd order Amelia to fetch her something from the shop but, for the most part, she did everything herself.

Finally, it appeared that she was done with the preparation and Octavia turned her concentrated stare upon me. "Take off your shirt," she commanded. I double-checked her mind to make sure she wasn't going to try anything untoward, but all I found was extreme focus and a little impatience to get this done.

With a shrug, I pulled off my black t-shirt, which Amelia took from me and hung over a chair. Octavia had me pull the straps of my bra down so that I was my shoulders were bare as well.

"A glamour to change your appearance is relatively simple," she informed me. "Usually I can create a charm or something to place around your neck. However, your vampire has instructed this to be a much more convincing deception. Instead of simply changing what people see when they look at you, we will be changing how you actually are. This complicates the witchcraft a bit."

I noticed Amelia was listening hard, and I realized the older witch was explaining herself mostly for her apprentice's sake.

"Everything must be realistic so that should you be touched the illusion will not be affected."

"How long will it last?" I asked nervously. I suddenly had the image of myself changed forever and a shiver ran down my spine. Eric was asking for a lot of trust on my part, and I hoped he held up his end of the bargain.

"It will fade naturally after two moons have passed," Octavia answered. "If you wish it to end sooner, just come and see me so I can remove it manually. Now prepare yourself, it may sting a little."

The older woman plunged her hands into the bowl, covering them with a grayish purple substance. It honestly looked a bit like a skin cream I once tried with Gran that hadn't done much except dry out my pores. I didn't know what she meant by a sting, so I braced myself cautiously.

Her cool hands spread the thick mixture over my skin, starting at my shoulders and centering on my chest where my heart was located. Keeping her hand still over my heart she started to murmur something in a strange language:  
>"Utor vestri ops muto is tergum... lucem tenebras, magnum parvo, id quod, fit totus novus."<p>

The substance began to thicken like clay and as it did I felt a burning underneath my skin as if someone had set my blood to boil. My face flushed as the heat intensified and I clenched my hands into fists. Octavia's chant became louder and I was no longer paying attention to the words. My heartbeat sped up to an unbearable pace. It was as if my veins were blistering and bubbling inside me, and I let out an agonized shriek.

The burning finally became so painful that I was ready to smear off the horrible stuff covering my chest, but the moment I moved to do so, Amelia's arms held my hands down. I opened my eyes to stare into hers, and she said "You're almost there, honey. Don't give up yet."  
>Tears streamed from my eyes as I stared back, trying to draw strength from the woman gripping me. Suddenly I heard a loud burst and the clay flew off my skin, now in the form of a dry powder. The burning in my veins ceased and it was as if someone had placed cool cloths against my skin. A sigh left my body as I slumped down on the mat<p>

The entire ordeal had lasted less than a few minutes, yet it had felt much longer than that. I've been through worse pain before, after being attacked by the Rattrays and being scratched by the Maenad, but the burning sensation had been an entirely new intensity of pain.

Amelia was now wiping my chest with a damp cloth, making sure all of the dust and ash had disappeared. She was telling me how I did a good job and that Octavia knew what she was doing, but all I felt was relief that it was over.

A glass of water was thrust into my hand. "Drink," Octavia suggested. "Your body is worn out from the exertion."

"You could have warned me," I spat at her. "It may sting a little? I'd like to see you get a little 'sting'". Amelia's thoughts told me she was delighted to hear someone talk back to her serious mentor, but her face gave away nothing. I could tell she felt sorry for my pain but was still fascinated by the spell. That reminded me- "Can I see myself now? I'd like to know that all the pain was worth it."

Octavia gestured to a full-sized mirror in the corner. "When you have gained enough strength, be my guest."

I wanted to continue chewing her out for the pain I had received, but the older witch left the room. Left alone with Amelia, I sipped some more water, trying to summon my energy.

I stood up slowly and made my way over to the mirror. The image reflected back at me brought forth a gasp- it was amazing!

The woman in the mirror was about the same height I had been, maybe a few inches shorter. Dark brown hair curled slightly around my chin, framing a sharp angular face. Two bright blue eyes stared back at me from creamy pale skin, dotted with just a few freckles. I reached up a hand to touch them, and then smoothed down a length of hair.

I noticed my breasts weren't quite as big as I was used to, although still perky and young. I stretched, feeling strange in a new body. I certainly didn't recognize myself, and that was a good thing. I didn't want anyone at the palace figuring out who I was!

"Lookin' good!" Amelia said from behind me. Her thoughts told me she was impressed with Octavia's skill, and I had to agree. "What's your name, anyway?"

Eric and I had discussed this earlier. The fewer people who knew about Sookie Stackhouse, the better- even Franklin hadn't asked for details. I had suggested Sara, to mix between my own name and my best friend Tara back home. The name seemed to fit this new body as well- pretty, likable, but not necessarily that unique or memorable. I introduced myself to Amelia, feeling slightly odd. I knew I'd have to get used to using the name and body for the next few days.

"I don't think there's anything else you need here," Amelia said. "I'm sorry to see you go- this was the most exciting part of my internship so far!"

I laughed, "I'm glad somebody had fun. Not sure if I'd ever want to do that again."

"So where are you off to now?" She asked.

"Well," I started. Eric had given me some money to buy new clothes to go with my persona. I had very few clothes left after leaving for a year, and none that would really look natural as a vampire's guest in a palace. Honestly, I had no idea where to start and Amelia seemed to know the area. "Would you be interested in going shopping with me? I'm sort of new to the city."

Amelia's eyes lit up, and I knew I had mentioned the magic word. "Say no more! I'll go tell Octavia that I'm doing some follow-up for the spell. I know just the place to go, too! Stay right here."

The redhead disappeared into the main part of the store and was back within a minute. "Alright!" She exclaimed. "Let's shop!"

**************************

Two hours later I was laden down with shopping bags. Amelia had taken me to Riverwalk Market where there were literally hundreds of shops. I couldn't go into too much detail about where I was going that evening, but I told her the general idea. Eric had given me more than enough cash to spend so we ended up going a little overboard.

We had decided on a general theme of red and black, hoping that I'd blend in among the other fangbanger crowds. I had no idea how fancy the nights were going to be, so I purchased a simple little black dress, a floor length gown, and a pair of leather pants with a matching red halter top. None of it was necessarily to my taste, but that was kind of the point. Amelia really got into it and tried to get me to buy matching sets of lingerie and new heels. I opted for one new set (you never know, right?) and two pairs of shoes that could go with the dresses or the pants.

We took a break for coffee and beignets, and I got to know Amelia a little better. She came from a wealthy family but was trying to get by on her own without relying on daddy's money. I could tell she was very proud of herself and I admired her attitude. I felt bad not being able to disclose any of my own life, but she didn't seem like the kind of person to mind. Amelia was definitely a talker rather than a listener.

Finally, I asked Amelia to take me to a local drugstore. She knew of a Target nearby, and I went in alone. The items I had to buy would have raised some odd questions from her, and I was involving her too much already. In the travel aisle they kept mini-spray bottles for packing your own perfume. I added a bottle of lemon juice to my bag and paid for my items. A peek into the cashier's mind told me he wasn't paying much attention to my purchases, but I threw in a pack of gum anyway. I wasn't necessarily expecting a fairy attack at the palace, but I figured it was better to be prepared.

Amelia dropped me off back at Audubon Park where Eric's corvette was waiting. Our goodbye was a bit odd- I don't have very many friends and I had the feeling that this redheaded witch could become a close one. I felt wrong leaving her without even my real name, but I knew that involving her more would only endanger her life.

I found my way back to Franklin's place with only a few wrong turns and was back by 3:30, plenty of time before sundown.

Balancing my purchases with my keys and purse, I sighed in relief when I saw for sure no vampires were around. The sun was still up, but I had this awful feeling anyway. I supposed that's just the way Franklin's house was- icky.

After unpacking my outfits I settled on the twin bed to wait for Eric. I couldn't imagine what he'd think of my new look- plus, it took my mind off the plan for the evening, which was anything but pleasant.

**********************

_Please remember to review! It helps me keep going :)_  
><em>I hope you're not all mad at me for the tricky dream-sex. It's going to be a while before Eric and Sookie are ready for that in "real life", so I thought it'd be fun to get a preview for now. Can't have all my readers drying up already! hehe.<em>


	9. Follow

_I'm so sorry it took this long to update! Geez, over a month. My only excuse is that I'm not in school anymore, which means no winter breaks to work on fanfic. I know, not a very good excuse._

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed in my absence! And of course, thank you so much to my wonderful beta Liz, islandvampirelizgurl._  
><em>This is my first try at Eric's POV, so I hope you enjoy!<em>

**EPOV**

I am accustomed to waking up in strange places. During a thousand year life, one must find a resting place wherever possible. Some have been nicer than others. On this particular night, I had the displeasure of waking in Franklin Mott's day chamber. At least the bed I had slept in was comfortable and relatively clean.  
>Franklin had been a psychopath in his human days, and immortality had done little to normalize him. Still, in my business, there has always been a need for those such as him. I wasn't above using these kinds of people for my own devices.<p>

Being a much older vampire, I am able to rise before the sun is completely set. My host was still dead in his own coffin, locked with a security code. I assumed that if had he been alone, he would have slept in the bed that I was currently laying in. Not wanting to be vulnerable to an older vampire, he had locked himself away. The security was unnecessary- I hadn't been planning on staking the crazy bastard, but I supposed he was just being extra careful.  
>Unfortunately the rest of his house was not sun-proofed, so I had an hour to kill before I could climb the ladder to my Sookie.<p>

An uncharacteristic grin came to my face as I remembered my little fairy. She had looked so peaceful sleeping on that tiny twin bed. Touching her delicate feet was a special memory for me already, and I longed to touch much more than that. I had to continually remind myself that, for her, only a few days had passed rather than an entire year. Moving slowly does not come naturally to me- generally, when I want something, I have it the next instant.

Not so with my Sookie. Like stalking a doe in the forest, I had to move slowly and carefully, following all the rules. I planned on getting it perfectly right, and there would be no sloppy mistakes made on my part, unlike Bill Compton. When I thought back to how he handled something as precious as a relationship with Sookie, it's all I can do to not beat the immortality out of him. And yet, my lover insisted on confronting him!

Part of me was intrigued by the prospect. I had been on the wrong end of a Stackhouse temper, and it was a sight to behold. The idea of Bill receiving a 'piece of her mind' (as Pam would call it) brought me endless amusement. However, he is as manipulative as Sookie is kind-hearted, and I was worried that, given the chance, he would worm his way back into her life and interfere with all my plans. I did not truly consider him a threat- there was no way he was going to steal her from me. Still, he could create friction between the two of us that was unwanted. Why couldn't Sookie see that we would do well to forget the little shit ever existed?

She was stubborn; that was for certain. In fact, it was one of the things I liked best about her. She truly challenged me in ways that few others could, even more than my childe, Pam. When she really got going, her cheeks flushed in the most delicious way, her breath coming in pants and her lovely breasts rising and falling. She had a tendency to stick out her hip and bite her bottom lip as she listened to my retorts. It made me want to argue with her just to see her in her beautiful glory.

I imagined it would only be enhanced when she was under me, panting from pleasure rather than indignation. I hoped those same lips would part under mine, and she would allow me to bite them for her. All that blood rushing to her cheeks, I longed to see if that lovely blush extended to her breasts. I had seen many beautiful women in my long days, but none had the exquisite combination of fire, innocence, and sensuality that my Sookie held. Maybe it had to do with her fae blood, or maybe it was something uniquely her. All I knew was that I was hooked on her like a drug.

I had to change my train of thought as my pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. There was no way I was going to get caught with my hands in my pants when Franklin rose from his coffin. I ran over the plan for the evening in my head a few more times, searching for flaws and weak points.

Most of it hinged on Sophie-Ann's narcissistic belief that all her subjects adored her as much as she adored herself.  
>I was also counting on Compton not revealing Sookie. There was a chance he wasn't at the Palace, but most of my sources placed him in the Queen's court as of yesterday. He would be able to sense Sookie the same way I could- unlike me, he tasted her blood and she had drunk his on two occasions. Their connection was stronger than mine, so he must know she was on Earth. Yet he had still not betrayed her return to the Queen, as far as I knew. This told me Bill was still trying to protect Sookie in some way, or he had some other scheme up his sleeve.<p>

When Sookie and I walked into the palace, he would know immediately that she was there. I hoped that he would continue to protect her and not give us away.

Ideally, Sookie would never come near Queen Sophie-Ann and her crazy court, but unfortunately my little spitfire insisted on complicating my life in every possible way. Hopefully, she would see for herself what a traitorous bastard Compton was, and we could turn right back around to Shreveport and...

And what? Spend a week or two in bed, for one. After that, I wasn't really sure what life would be like with Sookie as my lover. I didn't have much experience with vampire-human relationships, other than as a feed and a fuck.

**SPOV**

For the third time in an hour, I changed my clothes. I really wished the sun would hurry up and set. I remembered most of the plan, but I was just so nervous. I'd never been to a palace before, human or otherwise, and I felt way out of my comfort zone. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was quarter to five.

After getting back to Franklin's, I had tried to take a quick nap but I just couldn't settle down. It was still so weird being in a new body, and I admit I spent a good forty-five minutes standing in front of the mirror. Obviously I knew the men in my life liked me for more than my body- otherwise, wouldn't I have gotten more dates in high school? The whole reason I had been a 27-year old virgin was because of my crazy insides. My natural body, while a few dress sizes larger than I would like, is pretty attractive and my sexual adventures with Bill had taught me to revel in them more than I had before. Now, though, I had this brand-new body to get used to, and whatever was going on between Eric and I was going to be affected by this change. What if he was suddenly no longer interested in me? Or worse, what if he was more interested in me? Maybe he really prefers brunettes. I shook my head. Eric had seen plenty of beautiful women in his life, surely there must be something to my personality that drew him to me, right? It couldn't all be physical. Although the physical had seemed pretty nice last night in my dream...

This was silly. I was going up against the Queen tonight and possible seeing my ex-lover Bill. And I was worried about Eric finding me sexy? Shaking myself out of it, I returned to the task of getting ready. I decided to put on some makeup while I waited for Eric to come upstairs. I went for heavy eye-shadow and lots of eyeliner, trying to go as far away from my usual style as possible. I was beginning to get used to seeing that strange woman in the mirror move at the same time I did. Hopefully, I was getting more comfortable, so that nothing would seem suspicious tonight in front of the vampires.

Sure enough, as soon as the sun was down I heard the clank of the steel door opening in the living room. I stayed in my little bedroom, waiting for Eric to retrieve me. I hoped I would see him before I saw Franklin- in no way did I want to be left alone with that weirdo! I heard the low murmurs of conversation and then the door was opening.

Eric stood in front of me, completely devoid of emotion. Shutting the door, he stared for what felt like a full minute, then inhaled deeply. I fought the urge to fidget or look down at my feet. Finally, a smile emerged on his face and I smiled back.

"Definitely still Sookie," he said. "Come here, and let me have a look at you."

I did the dressing room twirl, with my arms out straight. Facing Eric, I put my hands on my hips. "Well? Will it do?" My voice was sarcastic, but inside I was nervous.

"It won't fool me, or any other vampire who has spent much time with you," he said with a more serious look. "But to the ones at the palace, they will simply see a woman with an extra delicious scent. You will have to be careful not to draw extra attention to yourself, Sookie."

"Then you'd better start calling me Sara," I replied.

"Yes," Eric said with a hint of a smile, "And what will you call me?"

I scowled back at him. "Master Eric," I spit out. I hated that word. It reminded me of all the glamoured out fangbangers at Fangtasia, desperate for attention.

"I hope you don't say it like that," Eric scolded me. "Everything must seem natural. Do not look at a vampire in the eyes, and never speak when spoken to."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Eric," I said, "I know! We've been over all of this. I'm not stupid."

"Sometimes you seem to forget that," he said. Before I could argue any further, he looked at my outfit. "Is this what you are wearing?" He asked. It was the leather pants with the top.

I shrugged, a bit annoyed. It's not like I knew the dress code at the palace! "I don't know, Eric, it's my first time. What should I wear?"

"Accompanying your master to the palace is a big honor," he said a bit smugly. "Wear a dress at least."

I picked up the little black dress for his inspection. It was tight crepe-material with cap sleeves, a deep V-neck, and ended with a pencil skirt. Amelia had picked it out, telling me how rare it was to find Alexander McQueen for under $500. This version was actually called a 'samurai dress' and I liked the irony of wearing a battle dress into the palace.

After inspecting the material, he said simply, "It have to will do". Geesh, I hadn't realized what a fashion snob Eric was. "I will meet you in the hall in five minutes. Remember, the moment we leave this room, you are Sara. Do not forget this. Franklin is our first test."

He stuffed the rest of my clothes in the duffel bag and took it with him out the door. A wave of anxiety rushed over me, but I stamped it down. Eric knew what he was doing, and I had been in much worse situations before. Everything would be fine.

After changing into the dress, I threw the lemon-filled perfume bottle in my purse, slipped on the heels, and checked my makeup. Looking around, I tried to see if I had left anything. We wouldn't be coming back to this house, and for that I was thankful. I said a little prayer that everything would work out and walked into the hallway.

Eric glanced at me and walked into the living room. I guessed I was supposed to follow him! Franklin was lounging on the couch, looking through his phone. It seemed very strange to me to picture him texting, and yet there he was! He looked up and smiled when he saw Eric.

"Heading out, my friend?" He asked. I couldn't tell, but I thought I could sense Eric grimacing at the familiar title. "Want to grab a bite to eat?" His eyes slid to me, and he grinned. I realized he hadn't even figured out that I was a completely different person than the one he saw last night. Were humans really that interchangeable to vampires? Maybe to ones as crazy as Franklin, perhaps...

"No," said Eric firmly, "Thank you. I plan to dine at the palace tonight. I would be in your debt if you forgot my stay here."

"Of course," Franklin replied. "I owe you one anyway, so we'll call it even. Have fun at the Queen's!" He didn't rise up to say goodbye, and went back to texting. Vampires were so weird!

I followed Eric through the door and we made it to his Corvette. Eric seemed to eye it a little more closely than usual, and I sighed. There wasn't a scratch! Really, he was way too overprotective of that car. I climbed in and he followed eventually, I guessed satisfied that I hadn't hurt his precious vehicle.

We drove a few miles until we reached the outer city limits. Eric steered the car to the side of the road and killed the lights. Turning to me, he asked, "Are you ready?"

I nodded. From the duffel bag, Eric brought out two items that were vital to our story: an iron gardening shovel and a sharp dagger.

Eric was going to tell the Queen that he met a fairy in Shreveport and killed it with an iron tool. Then, he arranged for his absence and drove directly to New Orleans to alert his Queen to the Fae presence (like a loyal Sheriff would). To convince the Queen that it really happened, we needed Fae blood on the shovel. Although my blood isn't pure Fae, we hoped that the Queen wouldn't really notice, as it was supposedly a day old anyway.  
>Once the subject of fairies in her realm was raised, we hoped she would let slip whether she knew about me and Jason or not.<p>

A soft touch on my wrist stopped me from going over the plan again. "Would you like me to do it?" He asked me, looking into my eyes.

I thought about it. I didn't like the idea of him slicing me open, but at the same time he probably had more experience than I did. I didn't want to accidentally open a vein or something and bleed out all over the car! Really, the less traces of my blood the better.  
>I nodded, adding, "Be careful not to get it on my clothes."<p>

Eric raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you really think I'd waste a drop of your blood?" Taking my forearm gently in his strong hand, he placed a chaste kiss on my skin. "This will hurt, my love. I will make up for it as soon as possible."

My heart flipped when he called me 'love' and I reminded myself to trust him. I took in a deep breath, and as I exhaled he drew the dagger across my arm. I hissed at the sharp bite of the dagger, and bit my tongue. Eric expertly tilted my arm so that the blood landed in the concave part of the shovel, pooling there.

Careful to hold my arm out and away from my body, Eric leaned in closer to kiss me softly. My eyes fluttered shut, the pain in my arm far away. Besides his fingers gripping on my forearm, our lips were the only part of us touching. There was something strangely erotic about joining this way- our bodies far apart, so different from our usual embrace. His lips started out cool but I could feel them warming under my skin. Something in me yearned to go deeper with the kiss, and reassure myself that I was safe with this vampire. Before I could decide how far to go, Eric pulled his face away from mine.

Looking down, I realized the blood flowing from my arm had stopped. Bending at the waist, Eric soothed the mark with his tongue. It felt cold and kind of tickled. The area immediately smoothed over and he withdrew with a chaste kiss. I looked at my arm, and there was nothing to be seen but clean flesh.

"Our saliva has healing properties," he explained at my astonished look. "Bill never showed you that?"

I shook my head. "He just gave me his blood when he needed to heal me. Wait, is this the same as taking your blood?"

"No," Eric said, "Although I wouldn't mind giving you some of mine now. A little extra strength may come in handy tonight."

After our sweet kiss, my stomach lurched at the thought of another deception. "Yeah, right. I learned my lesson last time. You're not going to trick me into drinking your blood twice! I may be younger than you, but I'm not stupid."

"Let's hope not," the vampire next to me replied. "The shovel is dry enough. Are you ready?"

At my nod, the Corvette roared to life and we headed toward the Palace, where my first and former lover might be waiting for us.

**_Thank you for reading! Next chapter: The Queen! And will our favorite Southern Vampire traitor be there as well? If you'd like to see Sookie's Samurai dress, just google "Alexander McQueen black samurai pencil dress"._**

**_Please review & tell me what you think!_**


	10. Downpour

_Woo-hoo! Only 13 days between updates! haha. For me that's good, okay? _I turned in my grad school apps, so maybe I'll have more time to write._**  
><strong>Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed & added me to their Author/Story Alerts. I still can't believe so many people are reading this! Shoutout goes to Erin1705 for being the first to review (I can't count Liz!)_

_Also, thank you to my wonderful beta, Islandvampirelizgurl. She's the reason these are getting better every time!  
><em>

_Okay on to the chapter!  
><em>

**CHAPTER TEN**- **DOWNPOUR**

This was it- time to step into the lion's den.  
>We had pulled up to the main gate at about 7:00, which matched our made-up timeline: Just enough time for Eric to drive from Shreveport to New Orleans if he had left as soon as the sun went down. I was glad Eric was paying such close attention to detail, as it left me able to sit back and worry about Bill.<p>

The palace was located in the center of the historical district, although it somehow retained its own privacy. Large hedges surrounded the actual building, and a wrought iron gate stopped anyone trying to enter. The Queen was one of the few high-profile vampires in our state, and, as such, had the highest amount of security that I had ever seen. I guess even vampire royalty has to worry about weirdos and stalkers!

Unfortunately, our car was no exception to the security protocol. A burly vampire in a uniform stopped us at the gate and asked for identification. As cool as I'd ever seen him, Eric replied that the Queen was expecting him. The guard looked intimidated but went to go confirm it on his walkie-talkie, anyway. I shivered a little- for some reason, when Eric is bossy to other people, it seems really sexy.

I had expected Eric to try one more time to talk me out of going inside, but I guess he was smarter than I gave him credit for. Instead, while waiting for the guard to return, he reached out and pulled me in for a quick, searing kiss. When I gained a little space between our faces, my eyes caught his. For an instant, it was just him and me and I had the strangest urge to turn around and drive right back to Bon Temps and never leave. I was falling hard for this vampire, and it was so tempting to forget everything else. But no, I had wrapped myself up in a new love before, and it had ended badly. If I were to start anything with Eric, I wanted to have a clean beginning first. And that meant dealing with my ex-lover.

The guard returned to the window, and Eric was back to business. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Northman," he said, bowing. "Her Majesty shall meet with you shortly."

With a nod, Eric drove through the gate, hardly waiting for it to finish opening.  
>A valet took the keys from a reluctant Eric. Really, letting go of his precious Corvette twice in 24 hours was a huge step for him. I gave his arm a squeeze, trying to convey that his toy would be fine. His mouth may have twitched upwards a bit at that, but it was hard to tell with him.<br>Walking up the stairs to the main doors, I couldn't help but stare. It was the most beautiful building I'd ever seen, with marble columns flanking the entrance. There was even a chandelier on the porch! Who had ever seen such a thing?

The doors opened for us before we even knocked, and I immediately scanned the area for human minds. I could sense a number of other beings, but luckily none were thinking too loudly and I was able to maintain my focus on the situation. The entryway was bigger than my house's entire first floor, lined with velvet wall hangings and various paintings. A large fountain centered the room, filled with colorful fish. It was clear the Queen had expensive tastes, although it was difficult for me to determine if it was classy or not.

A vampire in a fine tuxedo greeted Eric, with only a brief glance my way. He introduced himself as Charlie, the queen's assistant. I was glad Eric had suggested I change into the dress. I mean, who wears a tuxedo to work?

"What a lovely surprise, Mr. Northman," he said. "Her Majesty was delighted when she heard you were coming. You needn't have brought your own meal, we have plenty in-house to choose from." I realized he meant me. Gross.

"I am well aware of Her Majesty's wonderful offerings, Charlie," Eric replied, with a hand on my lower back. "And normally I'd love to take you up on that offer. However, Sara is my current pet and I'm quite fond of her taste. Besides, I fed before I came. There are important matters to discuss with my queen, and I'm sure her selection would be... distracting." Apparently Eric was pretty smooth with this type of thing. It reminded me of when Gran would have her ladies over for tea, and I'd try to get out of it by explaining I'd just eaten at Tara's house (which of course was a lie, there was never any food at Tara's house!). Avoiding a meal while not hurting the host's feelings is a fine Southern art, and it impressed me that Eric knew it.

"Of course," the queen's assistant nodded, "If you will follow me, Her Majesty is entertaining in the natatorium." I glanced at Eric, as I'd never heard that word before. I really needed to update my word-of-the-day calendar!

Charles led us to the hallway on our left, and I passed even more paintings. A few of them seemed a little more pornographic than artistic, although I admit my knowledge of the art world is a bit limited. I began to get a better picture of who Sophie-Ann really was. The hallway was long, with many doors on either side. I wondered how a person could possibly use all those rooms, especially since vampires didn't eat or use the bathroom.  
>The closer we came to the end, the louder the minds in the building became. It felt as if there were about ten or fifteen human minds on the other end, and I began scanning for any danger. From this distance I picked up mostly emotions, and the majority were positive. Nervous, excited, bored, even horny... nothing too alarming to make me pause. I began to relax the tiniest of fractions.<p>

Charlie opened the door for us, and I walked past him into the room. Apparently, natatorium meant an indoor-pool for vampires. It was humid inside, with an Olympic-sized crystal blue pool in the center. The walls were made of glass, and tropical plants surrounded the deck. Lounge chairs had been set out, with little tables stocked with cocktails. The walls were lined with intimate seating areas, where I saw a few couples making out and putting their hands in unseen places.

Only a few people were actually in the pool, and all of them were human, splashing around and playing. The dress code seemed to be somewhat mixed, anywhere from 60's bathing suits to full out gowns. Still, even the ones in their bathing suits were fully made-up, and it seemed everyone was out to impress. I like to think I'm pretty confident, but this particular group of people made me feel like a country bumpkin- especially knowing that I wasn't even in my own body! I shifted a bit behind Eric, hoping to remain invisible.

"Eric Northman!" A young woman exclaimed, gracefully standing up from a velvet lounge chair. She was dressed in a shimmering silver gown that reminded me of the flapper era, only longer. Her perfect blonde hair was done in pin-curls and her mouth was painted blood red. She looked to be younger than twenty-five, and I could tell from her mental signature this was a vampire.

Greeting each other with an elegant air kiss, Eric made a small bow. "Your Majesty," he murmured.

"Oh please, you know you can call me Sophie-Ann. This is such a pleasant surprise! You really must come up here more often. Aren't you dreadfully bored in that little town?"

She closed her hand around his and was standing a bit too close for my liking. I pressed down the flare of jealousy inside and scanned the room some more. The other vampires around were watching the couple curiously, and with a hint of fear. I had the feeling Eric was the oldest in the room, and I counted my lucky stars that he happened to be on my side.

Some of the humans' thoughts turned towards me, and I was pleasantly surprised that none of them were thinking '_Who is that ugly human with the hot Sheriff?_'. Actually, most of their thoughts were still focused on whatever vampire they were seducing at the time. One human had been at the palace a while, and I learned from his mind that Eric never brought his own meal, and that usually he sampled whomever the queen had to offer. I forced my attention back to what my vampire was saying.

"As of late, my area has been anything but boring," Eric replied smoothly. "Which is what I came to discuss. Shall we retire somewhere more private?"

"Northman! Always business minded. Pleasure comes first, I always say."

"Do you?" Eric raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I doubt that. How else could you have built your glorious empire?" Was he flirting with her? I think my vampire was flirting with her right in front of me!

Sophie-Ann let out a childish sigh. "You're right, I suppose. Still, you really can't expect me to get down to business without a little catch-up? Come, play a game with me. Your human can mingle, right?" She scanned me with her eyes, and I felt like she was sizing me up. I tried my best to look innocent and dumb.

"Actually," Eric paused, "she's a bit new to all this. I'd prefer to keep her by my side, if you don't mind. Sara has a tendency to get into trouble." He threw an annoyed glance my way, and I looked down at the floor, pouting a little.

"Tell me about it!" the queen exclaimed, throwing her head back and laughing. "You'll have to meet my own little pet. I swear, were I mortal, all my hair would be grey by now! Aren't they the funniest creatures?"

I was not used to being talked about as if I wasn't even in the room! I tried not to look too offended, but they weren't really paying attention to me anyway. Sophie-Ann led the way over to a wooden table, nestled between a set of antique benches. The table had a panel on top that the queen removed- inside was a small rectangular board that I recognized as cribbage. My father had loved the game, and tried to use it to teach me math. Of course, I had found it much too confusing balancing my own hand of cards with my father's thoughts, and usually left the room crying.

Sophie-Ann shuffled the cards using her vampire speed. In two seconds, both vampires had six cards in front of them.

"You do know how to play?" Sophie-Ann asked with a smile.

"I think I remember," Eric replied. He glanced at his cards so quickly that I wasn't able to see what he had. He discarded two into the 'crib' and stared back at the queen. "Of course, didn't they call it Noddy back then?"

"When I was human, yes. Speaking of, Charlie?" The queen turned to her assistant, who was racing over to her side. "Fetch a drink for Northman's human." She met my eyes and said, "We're having Blue Hawaiians!"

Her grin was so big, as if this was the most novel idea ever. I nodded and said "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two of them began to play, going over various vampire gossip. I hadn't a clue who any of the people were that they discussed- Russell, Francis, Mary-Lou? It honestly got a bit boring. I sipped my rather weak cocktail and went into my own thoughts. Out of all the vampires I had met, the queen was the only one whose demeanor matched her appearance. Even though Pam looked like a 30-year old housewife, it didn't mean she had to act like it! Sophie-Ann, however, pouted, gossiped, and flirted just like a twenty-something. In some ways, she seemed a lot more immature than I did! I reminded myself not to get caught off guard. After all, there must be a reason she became the queen, and I'm guessing it wasn't because of her cribbage skills.

After fifteen minutes, the pair were tied at 60 points each, when I heard a squeal from the queen. "Baby!"

A flurry of blonde hair attacked the queen, and it took me a moment to realize that first of all, it was a woman and second, they were making out! I'm pretty open-minded, but this was the first time I'd seen two women kiss, and I was a bit shocked. Catching myself staring, I looked down but peeked at them out of the corner of my eye.

The newcomer had her back to me and had completely straddled the queen. She was wearing daisy dukes, a tight red t-shirt, bare legs and sandals. Her outfit looked awfully out of place with Sophie-Ann's gown, but the queen didn't seem to mind! She must have been using her vampire strength to keep the girl on her lap like that, balanced on the bench. All I could see was the back of the girl's head, as she and her vampire went at it. Her thoughts weren't really sentences, as much as they were emotions and feelings. Surprisingly, she felt a lot of love for the queen mixed in with all that lust. I didn't know how someone could put on that public of a display and not feel embarrassed, but in her mind, she was barely aware of the crowd!

Eric didn't seem surprised at all. He shuffled the cards in his hands and looked around the room, appearing aloof and a bit bored. There was no way of knowing what he was thinking at that moment, and I marveled at the way he could hide his emotions. No one did "stone cold" like Eric!

After a few minutes the two women pulled apart. With the blonde girl's face buried in her neck, Sophie Ann peered over her shoulder at Eric and said, "Are you as famished as I am? Come on, Sheriff, have a drink with me. I won't share Hadley, but I don't mind if you snack on Sara in here."

I stiffened at the name- funny… That was my cousin's name- the same one who had been in Bill's stalker portfolio. But the chances were just too crazy that it could be her, so I tried to focus on what else the queen said. Wait, she wanted Eric to feed on me? Here? No way in hell, buddy. I began to scowl, then caught myself. I was supposed to be the willing pet human, providing him with sex and blood. Trusting Eric, I looked up at him and tilted my neck. I was counting on him to refuse, as he had promised he wouldn't bite me.

"I've already eaten, your Majesty," Eric said, putting his hand on my leg intimately. "Please, enjoy yourself. We can talk business afterwards." Hooray! Point one for Sookie. Good to know I could trust some vampires at least some of the time. It meant my judgment wasn't that bad after all.

The queen shrugged her shoulders, and I saw her fangs pop out. I reminded myself that this was a supposedly consensual relationship, and the girl's thoughts weren't showing me any fear. As much as I'd prefer to not see a vampire feed right in front of me, I had prepared myself for it going into the palace. I hadn't expected it to be all pool parties and card games, after all!

Using her strength, Sophie-Ann lifted the human girl up and dropped her with a thump on the cribbage table, cards flying everywhere. The girl giggled and wrapped her legs around the other woman, tilting her head back.

Our eyes met, and I gasped. It was my cousin Hadley! Without thinking, I shouted, "_No!_" and stood up.

All eyes immediately fell on me and I realized what I had done. About fifteen human minds and countless vampires were all focused on our little table- exactly what we hadn't wanted! I might as well have put up a big old sign saying '_Hey guys! Check us out!_'

The queen looked at me with a mixture of disgust and anger, but before she could move Eric was on me. "Excuse us, Your Majesty," he bit out through clenched teeth.

Forcefully grabbing my upper arm, he dragged me over to the corner near a secluded set of couches. My heart was beating so fast I feared it was going to burst through my chest. What had I done? I tried to look at Eric but he shoved me down onto the couch with a thrust of his large hands.

In an instant, his body was hovering over mine, crushing the air out of my lungs. I moaned a bit, trying to desperately to get a breath. Eric's fangs were out, and for an instant I forgot who he was. I began beating on his chest, squirming and trying to get away. It only made him press harder into me, until I couldn't move an inch. My eyes flew around us, wild and unfocused. All the thoughts in the room were coming at me like a herd of buffalo and I couldn't block any of them out.

_What's her problem?_  
><em>Ooh, is he gonna kill her?<em>  
><em>I guess that's what happens when you bring a girl from Shreveport... <em>  
><em>Maybe she was hoping the queen would bite her.<em>

I whimpered and moaned "Stop it, stop it!" The thoughts were just too much. The shock of seeing my cousin, the danger I had seen in the queen's eyes, and Eric's force had wiped all control from my mind and it was hard to tell the difference between my own thoughts and other people's.

Suddenly, Eric's hand covered my mouth, stopping any more sounds. My eyes met his and I shivered at the cold anger I saw there.

"Look at me, Sara," he said in a low voice. I could barely hear him, yet I held onto his words like a lifeboat. Some of the terror melted from me as I reminded myself that Eric had promised not to hurt me- but it didn't mean I was completely at ease either! I knew I had messed up badly, and I knew he had the power to take me back to Bon Temps right then and there.

"What the FUCK was that?" he hissed. His mouth was right up against my ear, and I didn't know what to say. I still had a large hand covering my mouth, so it wasn't like I could answer him! And anyway, what could I say? With as many vampires in the room as there were, I didn't dare to tell him the truth about Hadley being my cousin, and even if I did, it wasn't even that good of an excuse.

Yes, it was shocking seeing wayward Hadley being eaten by the Vampire Queen, but that was no reason to throw out the whole plan and give ourselves away! She was a grown woman, and before I'd seen Bill's photo of her, I had honestly thought she was dead. Yet here she was, looking healthier than ever and apparently happy with her life as a vampire's sex toy.  
>As angry as Eric was with me, I was just as angry with myself. It had been my idea to come here, and I may have ruined everything with my stupid outburst.<p>

Eric must have seen the emotions play out on my face, because I saw his eyes relax just a fraction. He removed his hand from my mouth, instead placing it under my chin, gripping tightly. "Speak," he ordered.

"I'm sorry, Master," I said, trying to put all my regret into those words. "I have no excuse. Please, I don't deserve your forgiveness."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit, which at this angle only I could see. I don't think he had expected me to be so contrite. Was my pride usually that bad? I can admit when I'm wrong!

He quickly turned back to being serious, and sat up, pulling me with him. I was now on his lap, which was a bit uncomfortable in my tight dress. It was riding up quite high at this point, and I worried about how much skin I was showing in a room full of vampires.

"What am I going to do with you?" Eric murmured before pressing his mouth against mine. The kiss was possessive and rough, his tongue demanding entrance. I felt as if I was being devoured, and my heart rate sped back up. Hands gripped my ass forcefully, and his hips thrust up against mine. Apparently my new body was still just as attracted to Eric as ever, because I felt myself becoming way too aroused for the situation we were in. Caught up in lust, I ground my pelvis against him, moaning into his mouth. I had the sense not to cut my tongue on his fangs, as fairy blood plus this crowd would equal bad news.

Suddenly, I heard a tapping behind us. Eric pulled his face away from mine, and I gasped for air. Twisting around, I saw the queen facing us, tapping her heels against the tiled floor impatiently. Her eyebrows were lowered in a scowl and blood was stained around her mouth. As you could expect, an angry queen was also a scary queen. I quickly lowered my eyes and tried to look as apologetic as possible.

"Well, Northman? What do you have to say for your little human?" Uh-oh. She sounded pissed.

"Your majesty, I apologize for her behavior. It seems my pet was getting a bit jealous and just needed some attention. Trust me, she will be punished for it. Perhaps you have a room somewhere...?" He lowered his voice dangerously and I shivered again. I reminded myself it was just part of the plan, and that I had nothing to truly fear from the Sheriff.

"Take care of it on your own time. I'm very busy, Eric, and I don't have all night for this shit. Come on, let's discuss what you came here for." The queen spun around dramatically, waving her arm to indicate she wanted us to follow her.

I risked a glance up at Eric. His mouth was set in a hard line, but surprisingly he didn't look all that angry. I guess it was a good thing- after all, we wanted to get information, right? It's not like I wanted to spend all night playing cribbage and watching people make out. Okay, so maybe that wouldn't have actually been that bad. I had been enjoying putting off the serious stuff, and this meant we were going even deeper into vampire politics. The big vampire grabbed my hand, and we followed Sophie-Ann out of the pool room.

********  
><strong>Whew! Sophie-Ann knows how to throw a party. Next Chapter- Will Bill finally make an appearance? maybe ;)<br>**

**Please remember to review, it lets me know you're enjoying it!**


	11. The Story

_Ew, it's been 16 days since my last update. I got a little writer's block but it's broken into pieces now. Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy._  
><em>Shout-out goes to erin1705 for being the first to review the last chapter <em>

_I can't believe I've made it to 90 reviews already! Incredible and humbling._  
><em>Thanks (as always) to the lovely &amp; amazing islandvampirelizgurl, my beta.<em>

**Chapter Eleven- The Story**

**EPOV**

'Think about something else...' was all I could keep repeating in my head. What on earth had I gotten myself into? Over a millennia old, and here I was in the queen's parlor trying to will away a massive erection, like some stupid teenager.

Realistically, I knew I should have been anxious or nervous, but there was something about Sookie that made logic fly out the window. She wasn't even in her usual body, and she still managed to turn me on more than anyone I've ever known.

I had been ready for all hell to break loose when she yelled at the queen. My blood was boiling in my dead body and I could have ripped her brunette head off- literally. But when she actually apologized- Sookie, apologized! - it took me by surprise. The look on her face was one of absolute contrition, and I had never seen it before. She knew what she had done, and at that moment, I couldn't be angry with her. Annoyed, yes, but angry?

And fuck, if there isn't anything as sexy as her calling me master. As soon as those words left her lips, I knew there was no turning back. I could have fucked her right there on the couch, in her enchanted body and everything. Sure, lots of humans have called me master in the past. When Ginger does it, it makes me wish I still had the ability to vomit. But never did I expect Sookie to use that title, or to sound so sincere. I almost believed in that moment that she was fully submitting to me.

Maybe the girl just has more self-preservation than I give her credit for, because it sure worked in stopping my anger. Even though we had pressing business, I had been hoping the queen would take me up on my suggestion of a private room, where I could explore more of this submissive side of Sookie.

Unfortunately, it appeared we were going to have to get back to business. The queen had been in such a good mood earlier that I thought getting information out of her was going to be simple. Now, with her extremely pissed off, it was going to take a ton of flattery and cajoling to find out what we needed.

At the moment, Sookie and I were sitting on a sofa in her waiting area. This was part of the queen's punishment- make you wait forever just to have the chance to talk to her. I knew better than to let it get to me; I've had to jump through more ridiculous hoops than this. However, I had never before been forced to sit next to such a delicious smelling part-fae for this long and not be able to touch her. Sookie (or 'Sara', rather,) was on the queen's naughty list, and it would not do to show her any affection at the moment. She was just sitting there, picking at her fingernails in the most anxious way. Hopefully she was running over in her mind what she did wrong, and wouldn't be so stupid next time.

Curiosity was raging through me to know what had set her off like that. Yes, Sookie has been known to act before thinking, but the stakes were pretty damn high here. She had seemed calm and in control up until the point when she saw that human's face. Perhaps the human had been thinking something that disturbed Sookie? It was possible, but I am usually accurate in reading human expressions and Hadley hadn't seemed upset or unwilling. The only other option was that Sookie recognized the human from somewhere, although that didn't explain why she would scream at the queen.

It appeared I would have to be content without knowing, as there was no way to question Sookie without other vampires in the palace overhearing. I sat back against the wall, and thought about what tactic of flattery to use on the queen.

**SPOV**

This was torture. It was like when Gran had me go to my room until she could figure out what to do with me. Jason was usually in trouble more often than me, but I still remembered that feeling of waiting for your punishment. A mixed feeling of guilt and dread churned in my stomach and I wished I had eaten more than that Blue Hawaiian.

I had yelled at the queen, and she did not seem happy. I knew Eric wouldn't let anything happen to me, but I worried that my mistake would cost us our entire mission. Would Sophie-Ann even tell us anything after this? Coming to the palace had been my only idea of how to get to the bottom of this fairy stuff. If the queen rejected Eric's questions, I'd be back at square one.

Nervously, I picked at Sara's overgrown cuticles and listened to the silence of the room. It wasn't as large as the other rooms I had seen in the palace, but it still loomed over me. The floor was marble, as well as the walls and even the bench I was sitting on. Clearly this was not the waiting room for the queen's more favored guests. There was little to look at on the walls except for dark abstract paintings. Directly in front of the bench was an ornate wooden door, through which I expected the queen was... doing something; maybe playing solitaire on her computer just to mess with us.

Even worse than the waiting was having to sit next to Eric and not know what he was thinking. I thought I could sense his disappointment. Here he was, sticking his neck out for me, and I go and ruin it. What if the queen didn't believe his story about the fairy and the shovel? What would she do to him? I resolved to do whatever it took to make it up to him. I looked down at my hands and tried not to cry. Think about something else! Deciding to focus on anger instead, I thought about why I had behaved so poorly: Hadley.

After seeing Hadley's picture in Bill's file, I had guessed that she was somehow involved in this, but I never realized she would be so intimately connected with vampire politics! In my imagination, I had pictured her being tortured by Lorena or some other evil vampire to spill all her secrets. Or, maybe she had gotten so desperate for drugs she sold information about my ability! Hadley had done lots of awful things, but at the time I had sort of understood her motivations. Drug addiction is an illness and it makes you do things you never thought you'd do. Now, I didn't necessarily forgive her for stealing Gran's money and other stuff, but I at least could see where she was coming from. But what I saw today was no desperate drug addict willing to do anything to get high. When I saw her tonight she looked happy and healthy, and her mind certainly didn't tell me she was being forced into anything! My heart dropped at the thought that my own family had willingly sold me out. Why was I cursed with such thoughtless family members?

After a good thirty minutes of sitting in that stupid parlor, Charlie appeared through a nondescript side door. He was still wearing his tuxedo and gave me a disapproving look.

"Sheriff, Her Majesty will see you now."

Eric stood up to his full height and I followed suit. He strode to the door, but Charlie got there first. He opened the heavy-looking door with a flourish, and I could peek inside. Instead of a desk or any sort of office-type furniture, it looked more like a woman's bedroom- only without a bed. Sophie-Ann was lounging on a fainting couch, looking much more ladylike than earlier, in a crisp white blouse, a long flowing scarlet skirt, and a black blazer.

The queen glanced at me with a scathing look. "Just you, Northman, I think I've had enough of your human's opinions for tonight."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Eric replied humbly. I was a bit surprised- according to our story, I had been present during the fairy attack. This would have given me a reason to attend the meeting between Sheriff and Queen, and I would have been able to hear the queen's answers myself. It looked as if Eric was changing the script a bit, and I really couldn't blame him. I had promised to follow his lead and obey, and I had failed. Still, I was disappointed I wasn't allowed in the room with them. I would just have to trust Eric would tell me the truth later when we were alone.

Before entering, Eric turned to me with his hand out. I stared at him dumbly for half a second before realizing he was staring at my purse. Oh! Of course he would need the proof hidden in there, and I wordlessly handed the bag containing the iron spade over to him. Without a word, Eric walked through the doorway, and Charlie closed the door after him. Before I could say anything, Charlie disappeared through the side door, and I was completely alone.

I wanted so badly to listen in at the door. The only thing keeping me from pressing my ear up against the wall was knowing that the vampires inside could hear my heartbeat- and I had gotten in enough trouble already tonight! I would have to be content to sit and wait. Which was hard.

I settled in on the uncomfortable bench and closed my eyes, running everything over in my mind. So far, the trip to New Orleans had been a bust. Bill hadn't come near me, and I didn't even know if he was at the Palace for sure. If he was, wouldn't he have come by now?

After fifteen minutes of driving myself crazy with worry, I heard a human mind coming down the hall. I could hear that the person's mind was nervous, and was thinking about me!  
>Not wanting to give away my ability, I crossed my arms and tried to appear nonchalant.<p>

In a few seconds the door opened and in walked my cousin Hadley. This time, however, I didn't react by screaming. It was still strange seeing her in the palace, and looking so happy and healthy. She had changed into a simple velour sweatsuit like I've seen Arlene wear, and I guessed her earlier outfit was likely covered in blood.

I sat very still- although I was wearing a glamoured body, we were still family, and I didn't want to take the chance that she would recognize me. Besides, now that I was pretty sure she had betrayed me, I didn't trust myself to get too close to her without slapping her face.

"Hey," she said, entering the room. "I brought you something." I noticed she had a brown paper bag in her left hand, and she held it out to me from a distance. Taking it from her, I instantly recognized the familiar smell of french fries.

Opening the bag, I saw she had brought me a cheeseburger with fries. I looked up at Hadley confused.  
>"I love a good burger," she explained, "So the queen had a diner installed on the human floor. I thought you might be hungry."<p>

I nodded gratefully and began to stuff my mouth with fries. I hadn't realized how hungry I was! It had been all day since my snack with Amelia, and my body was just now deciding to tell me about it.

"Thank you," I said between bites. "My name is Sara."

"Hadley," she said, with a little wave. She didn't sound suspicious, so I suppose the glamour was working. Besides, it's not like she knew me all that well anyway. I relaxed a tiny bit, and unwrapped the cheeseburger.

Hadley sat down next to me, and the food must have taken the edge off my hunger because I didn't physically assault her! I gave myself mental points for being so in-control.

"You made Sophie pretty mad," she said after a few minutes of silent eating. I didn't trust myself to speak just yet, so I just stared back at her. "You must be new at this vampire stuff, huh?"

"I'm learning," I said. As much as I wanted to get away from my traitorous cousin, I realized I could get some information out of her- assuming she was still a hopeless gossip, that was. "Master Eric didn't think I was ready to come here just yet, but I insisted. Seeing as I was involved with the fairy attack and everything..."

Hadley's eyes widened in surprise and she leaned forward. "Fairy attack?" She gasped. "In Louisiana?" She seemed extra concerned, which just cemented my theory that she knew about more than just my telepathy- that perhaps she knew we had fairy blood in our family as well. I had to get her to start talking.

"Yeah, did you even know there were such things?"

Hadley shook her head. "Not at first, but being around vampires you kind of pick this stuff up. I've never seen one in person, though. What are they like?"

I nodded and bit into another fry. "It was really scary," I said, which wasn't much of a lie. My last encounter with the fae really was scary! "We were at my house in Shreveport when it appeared. Luckily, I had some iron gardening tools, or who knows what would have happened."

"Well what did happen?" Hadley asked.

"I've never seen a fairy before either, but one just showed up out of thin air in my backyard! He was all glowy and tall. He started yelling about some person named Sookie, and when Master Eric refused to answer him, he attacked!"

"What exactly did the fairy say?" Hadley said, completely focused on me. "Are you sure he said Sookie?"

I was about to respond when the door flew open. Though she was only an inch taller than me, the queen's frame looked imposing standing in front of us. I could spot Eric sitting on an armchair behind her. As usual, his expression was a complete mystery to me.  
>"I'm glad to see you two are getting along," she said icily.<p>

Aw crap. Apparently, the two vampires had been the ones eavesdropping! Luckily, a peek inside Hadley's thoughts told me she wasn't too worried. My cousin must have been pretty confident in her abilities, because I would have been terrified!

"Just hearing all the news from Shreveport, Your Majesty," she explained with a smile.

The queen stared at her for a few moments and I thought I saw Hadley's smile waver for a second. Finally, she spoke. "Well, I suppose you two humans might as well come in anyway. I just finished telling the Sheriff about your fascinating family."

Hadley stood up and made her way over to the queen, swinging her hips. Ugh, did I look like that when I walked? I hoped not. She stopped to wrap her arm around Sophie-Ann's waist and kissed her neck. The queen smiled and seemed a little more relaxed with her lover by her side. Maybe Hadley did know what she was doing!

I stood up, unsure if the queen meant for me to follow.

"Come on, girl, I won't bite." I wondered how many times she had said that, and how many times she kept her promise. Still, Eric was on the other side of that door, and I knew I'd be safer by his side.

The room was darkly feminine, with the emerald fainting couch I had seen earlier. The two women took their seats there, while Eric remained in one of the matching armchairs. I sat down next to him, and chanced a nervous smile. His mouth was in a firm line, but I received the slightest of nods. Sophie-Ann had said that she told Eric about my family. I wondered if that meant he knew what I now did- that my cousin had betrayed me.

"Well Northman, I've explained to you about the last year. Thanks to Hadley, I have heard your human's version of the events, and they match up. I suppose I can include you now on my future plans."

"Before we go into that, I have a few questions. I do not understand why you thought you couldn't trust me, Your Majesty. If only you hadn't kept me in the dark about Compton's mission..." Eric's voice was a careful mix of curiosity with a tiny bit of anger. I wondered what he meant by Compton's mission, but I assumed it had something to do with me.

"It wouldn't have worked," the queen said, sounding exasperated. "Based on Hadley's information, the Stackhouse girl wouldn't have gone for you. She was a little Southern virgin, all about family, and Bill just happens to fit that type. Can you imagine if I'd sent you after her? She'd have run screaming in the other direction."

"You underestimate my seduction techniques," Eric said in a sexy voice. The queen seemed a bit entranced by it, and I realized that she wasn't exclusive to the ladies. Great, another woman for Eric to flirt with! "I agree Compton may have appeared to be the correct choice, but look where it got you- a dead telepath. I can assure you I would not have failed as he did."

"I'm not so sure," Sophie-Ann replied, sounding thoughtful. "Bill did everything I told him to at first- he made sure she was injured enough to exchange blood with him right away, established a dependent relationship, and ingratiated himself with the rest of the family. I still think I was right to choose him."

I mentally told myself to breathe. I was beginning to sweat and my heart was racing, but I hoped the vampire would assume it was nerves at being alone in the queen's office. All my fears were being confirmed- that Bill was indeed sent to secure me for someone else's gain. It sounded like it was the queen, and not Lorena as I had wondered that ordered his involvement. And what she said about me being injured enough to need blood- it brought me right back to the horrible Rattrays and what they did to me. Even though I heard it directly from the queen's mouth, I still could hardly believe it- that Bill allowed me to nearly die just so he could have control over me. Suddenly, I wished I hadn't eaten that burger, as my stomach was rolling in disgust.

"And this new fairy problem?" Eric inquired. "Do you intend to send Compton in to take care of this as well?" Oh, right. The queen had mentioned a future plan. I assumed it was what Jessica had told me, about securing Jason for the queen now that I was apparently dead.

The queen twirled the blood-covered shovel in the air and sighed. "I don't know, Eric. Ever since the girl disappeared, he hasn't been as enthusiastic of a subject as he was. Besides, you killed the fairy, right? There's not much more for either one of you to do."

"Your Majesty, while you are well aware of my fighting abilities, I have to admit that this was an ideal scenario. There was only one fairy, mostly unarmed, and I happened to have an iron weapon nearby. I cannot predict whether there will be another attack, but it is unlikely it will be so simple next time. It's been over a year since the telepath disappeared, and they are still looking for her. Not to mention now a full-blooded fairy has been murdered by a vampire, and I really don't see this ending any time soon."

"Well, I'm not giving up hope that Sookie is really dead- Bill says she is, but there's no evidence. His childe is placed in Bon Temps, monitoring the situation. And in the meantime, there's another Stackhouse that Hadley told us about." Although my mind was working overtime trying to process everything the vampires were talking about, I still kept a mental eye on Hadley's thoughts. I gathered that she wasn't very worried about Jason. In her view, life with a vampire was a great opportunity and she had no qualms about sending Bill's vampire child after him! I really couldn't believe her selfishness.

Eric nodded. "Jason, her brother. He came to see me after the telepath's death." Apparently, Eric wasn't going to mention that Jason also helped saved his life at the Fellowship of the Sun! I guess that would have been a little too much. "He does not seem to have any supernatural abilities."

"No," Sophie-Ann said, putting her arm around Hadley, "And neither does my girl here. I was having Bill keep tabs on him just in case he ever did show an ability. Now, however, I see a much better use for them."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Which would be?"

Grinning, the queen leaned in. "Leverage."

Hope you enjoyed! I'm sorry there was no Bill in this chapter, I know a lot of you were expecting him. He's just hiding from me, I hope he'll show up soon!


	12. Shadow On The Wall

It has been six weeks since my last update... is anyone even still reading? I am so sorry about the delay. I had a horrible case of writer's block.

Shout-out to Nordiclover for being the first to review chapter 11, all those weeks ago! BIG thanks to my dedicated beta Liz, who is wonderful.

In case you've forgotten, we left off with Eric, Sookie, Queen Sophie-Ann, and Cousin Hadley in the office discussing fairies...

**PART TWELVE: Shadow On The Wall**

I couldn't believe no one was saying anything. Really, the queen had just stated her lover was going to be used as leverage against the fae, and nothing? No protests from Hadley, no questions from Eric? What was wrong with everyone? At this point there wasn't much that could surprise me, so it wasn't too hard of a challenge keeping my face neutral. Still, my emotions were boiling inside me.

I peeked into Hadley's mind, and was relieved to see she was a bit nervous. At least she had some wits about her!_ Just hear her out, _my cousin was thinking, s_he hasn't been wrong yet. Besides, she loves me. Doesn't she? We haven't talked about turning me in a while, but..._  
>Oh ew. Was Hadley really considering dying for this stupid vampire? I really didn't need to hear that right now.<p>

Dramatic as ever, the queen waited a lengthy amount of time after her announcement to explain herself. "There have been reports of strange fae activity in some of the other kingdoms. Stories of a fairy coming out of nowhere and disappearing just as quickly. Scouts have followed the trails, but the fae never stay long enough to get any intel. The only pattern we have seen is that a local human usually goes missing during the same time period."

"I have heard nothing about this," Eric said, scowling. I doubted that he liked being kept in the dark.

"It didn't seem to be a major problem, and honestly the appearances haven't been that many. So far the sightings have been in California, Wisconsin, and Texas. After hearing about them, I gathered the other three monarchs and shared that I had some fae presence in my own kingdom."  
>Sophie-Ann looked extremely pleased with herself, while Eric regarded her silently. I didn't like where she was heading with this. "At the time we couldn't guess the motive behind these kidnappings- however, your report makes clear they're looking for someone with fairy blood. This makes me believe that the other humans involved were also part-fae."<p>

I was becoming increasingly nervous- especially because Eric's report was a complete lie! Risking a glance at Eric, I saw he didn't look too happy either. Whether it was because key facts had been hidden from him, or because he saw where she was going, I didn't know.

"You think they're rounding up all their blood-kin?" Hadley interjected, staring at her lover. "Then how come they haven't come for me or Jason?"

"The spark," Eric said quietly. "Not every fairy offspring has it."

I was tired of being so silent in this discussion that, after all, was about _me_! "What's that?" I asked. Luckily, I didn't receive the icy glare of death, so maybe I was on the path to forgiveness.

"It's something inside the person that, in a way, activates the fairy part of them. For some, it's teleportation or empathy. For Sookie, it's perhaps something else."

"She can read minds," Hadley offered. Good to know she was still giving that secret away so freely.

Eric shook his head. "As far as I know, that's not part of the spark. These humans who the fairies have been taking, they must have something else."

"Whatever it is, I want it!" Sophie-Ann declared. "Louisiana would be the most powerful state in the country. Think about it, I would have all those humans with their powers, yet none would have the strength of a full fairy, so they'd be easily controlled." The small vampire stood up and began to pace around the office. "When Hadley told me about the Stackhouse girl, I was excited about having my own personal telepath. I'd be the envy of all the monarchs! Then when Bill learned she was a fairy, that was even better. But now- just imagine! An entire palace full of them, all at my disposal!"

The queen was getting a crazy gleam in her eyes and I shifted a bit closer to Eric. What on earth was she talking about?

"Let's step back a bit, Your Majesty," Eric said carefully. "We don't even know where they're taking the hybrids, let alone how to get them." Was that what he was calling us? _Hybrids_? I wasn't sure if I liked that term very much. "And then once you have them, we don't even know if they'd be valuable. The essential spark manifests in all different kinds of ways. It could be that none of them are of any use to you."

The queen shrugged. "Then we drain the whole lot and have ourselves a party. Why are you being such a downer, Northman? And as for how to get them, we have a perfect opportunity. You say the fae are searching for Sookie? I say we give her to them. When they come to take her, my guards will latch on to the fairy and we'll have them."

"And how will you do this, with Sookie being deceased?" Eric asked.

I too, was wondering this, especially because I was sure it had something to do with my family. Before the queen could explain herself, I heard some muffled voices coming from behind the door, sounding suspiciously like an argument. Unfortunately, the minds showed up as vampires to me, and I couldn't hear any thoughts.

The two vampires in the room must have heard much more than I, as they exchanged confused glances. I felt Eric tense up next to me, although the queen wasn't giving off any sign of danger.  
>"Oh, let him in, Charlie!" She said, sounding annoyed.<p>

As soon as the words left her lips, the door burst open. A slight, familiar frame came into the room, the air tense around him: it was my first and only lover, Bill. His eyes searched the room frantically, his lips pursed and thankfully he kept silent. I was sure he was here for me, having sensed me through our blood bond. His eyes instantly met mine, and a flash of confusion crossed his face.

The whole room felt small and hot. Bill was staring at me, and his face said it all- he recognized me, even under the glamour. His body was as tense as I'd ever seen it, and I swear his nostrils were flaring, pulling in air to make sure it was really my scent. It was as if an invisible wall was holding him back, and he did not look happy about it.

Eric seemed to be waiting for Bill to make the first move, and I played along. I prayed that Bill wouldn't say anything to the queen about my real identity.

After an eternity of awkward silence, Sophie-Ann spoke. "Well, Compton? What is it that's so damn important that you had to interrupt us?"

It took Bill a second to tear his eyes away from mine to look at the queen. "My apologies, Your Majesty," he said with a steady voice. "Had I known you were meeting with the Sheriff, I would have waited."

"Well obviously, I'm very busy. But you're here, so you might as well tell me." She sat back down again next to Hadley, crossing her legs and staring at Bill. He stood in front of his monarch, the rest of us seated, looking like a schoolboy called in to the principal's office.

"I've had word from my child in Bon Temps," he said, "She has established contact with the Stackhouse boy." I raised an eyebrow. The last time I spoke with Jessica, she had been planning on sticking with Hoyt and rebelling against Bill. It appeared Eric wasn't the only vampire lying to the queen! "I would know your next order for me, if you please."

The queen threw back her head and laughed. "Well isn't that just perfect! It's as if you're psychic or something! How'd you know we were discussing that family?"

"A strange coincidence, I suppose," Bill said, glancing at the couch where Eric and I were sitting. I looked at my feet, trying to seem inconsequential.

"It just so happens that we have some new developments," the queen told him. "We will have to discuss them further together!" She turned to my cousin, and kissed her on the cheek. "Hadley, I'm afraid it's going to be a late night for me, dear. Take Sara to the guest suite and then meet me in the east wing."

_No! _ I thought. _No, no, no! Don't leave me, Eric!_ That had never been part of our plan. As annoyed with him as I had been earlier in the evening, I had no desire to be separated from him. Especially now that I knew for sure that Bill was here!

"I don't want to keep you from your duties," Eric said politely. "We have reservations at the Hotel Gizeh, and tomorrow I will be back in Shreveport. I believe our next scheduled meeting is on the thirtieth." Standing up, he pulled me with him and motioned toward the door. I said a quick prayer of thanks for his quick thinking, and focused on slowing my heart rate down.

"Don't be ridiculous, Northman," the queen said, waving her hand in the air. "There is more than enough space here in the palace. Besides, we have so much more to discuss about our new adventure together! Now that Compton is here, we can really get a plan situated.

"Nonetheless, your majesty, the hotel will be just fine, I assure you," Eric protested. "My companion and I have traveled a long ways tonight, surely any plans can wait until tomorrow."  
><em>Thank you, Eric!<em> I thought.

"No," the queen said firmly. "You will stay with me. No more arguing. I know how late you old ones can stay up." Her mind set, Sophie Ann ushered Hadley out of the room, and pushed me through the door after her.

Well, shoot. It looked like the queen was gonna get her way- at least I was leaving Bill's presence for a bit! I had been in a room with him for all of five minutes, and managed to survive. Maybe it was a good thing that the queen was forcing me to leave.

**************************************

Hadley wasted little time getting me to the guest suite. She seemed to have a lot on her mind, and was much less chatty than earlier.

The suite was enormous- it appeared to be the size of my entire first floor back home. There was a master bath, with a tub big enough for three Erics, a wall of mirrors, and marble floors. The bedroom was luxurious and dark, completely sun-proofed. There was a coffin in the closet, with a customizable key pad. Hadley told me to make sure Eric knew how to set his own code so no one (not even his pet) could harm him during the day.

Hadley spent about ten minutes showing me around, including the fully stocked kitchen. As she said her goodbyes, I realized this may be the last time I saw my cousin in a long time. A hug felt inappropriate, as she thought we had just met. I settled for a slightly awkward handshake, and called out a "thank you" as she went to the door.

I sat down on the leather couch, and let out a breath that I felt like I had been holding all night. At last, maybe I could relax-  
>Then I realized I never heard the door shut. Looking up, my heart sank. Bill was standing on the other side of the door frame, staring down at my cousin.<p>

"Leave us," Bill ordered Hadley. "I wish to know more of the fairy attack in my hometown."  
>The vampire sounded so authoritative that Hadley simply nodded. Her thoughts revealed some reluctance at leaving her new acquaintance with a vampire, but she told herself that Bill respected Eric enough not to touch me. If only she knew- Bill had done a lot more than touch me in the past!<p>

"Don't worry, Sara, he's pretty tame as far as they go. It was nice meeting you." With a little  
>wave, she closed the door and was gone. I was too shocked to even get up from the couch.<p>

Moving too fast for my eyes to see, Bill was at my side. He knelt on one knee, his cold hands gripping mine. Bill's eyes gazed up at me, and he finally spoke. "Sookie, what happened to you?"

I didn't know whether to feign ignorance and pretend to be Sara, or to acknowledge the truth- that it was finally, after all this time searching, just Bill and I in a room alone together.

Seeing Bill was bringing back all my old emotions that I had hoped I'd pushed down. My heart felt like it was in my throat, choking me and preventing any air of getting in. I was drowning in my own body. Why did he have to be here right now? I thought I was strong enough to face him, but doubts were beginning to form. A part of me wanted to keep being Sara for the night, and not have to deal with all the new knowledge and emotional upheaval that awaited Sookie. Unfortunately, my gran didn't raise me to hide from my problems. After all, what had I risked the journey to New Orleans for, if not to confront Bill?

"So you do know me," I said, waiting for his reaction. "How exactly is that, since this glamour fooled even my cousin?"

"We share a bond," he said, stroking the back of my hand. "You and I are bound by blood, no witch's glamour could hide that."

Pulling my hand from his, I shifted back on the couch. "So you can feel it, our bond?" Before he could answer, I continued, "Then why haven't I heard from you? Tonight is my third night back, yet I am only seeing you now."

"You must understand, Sookie," he pleaded, as he rose to sit next to me. "My every move is watched. Surely the queen would become suspicious were I to leave the city for no reason! I didn't know what had happened to you, or where you had been. If I had gone to Bon Temps, I might have brought danger with me."

As he explained all this, Bill leaned closer to me, and rested his arm on the back of the couch until our faces were inches apart. A bark of laughter left me involuntarily. "Really? There was nothing you could do? You could have said Jessica needed you. You could have at least called! Or sent me a message somehow. The Bill I remember would have moved heaven and earth to be with me."

Looking back, our love really had seemed that dramatic. I would have died for him- and almost did. I had always believed he felt the same. Seeing him this way, performing in front of the queen and now trying to explain himself, I was beginning to see that the Bill I had met in Bon Temps was just a lie. It was a mask he wore when he needed something; and at the time, he had needed me.

"My love, I would! I will! You have no idea how hard it was to see you tonight, sitting with Eric. I am so sorry you had to resort to his company, I promise I will make it up to you." Bill's arm was finding its way up my shoulders, fingers tangling in my hair. Our faces were coming closer together, and it felt so familiar. It was as if I was watching the two of us- me in my brunette form, and him wearing the mask of sincerity. I understood now, this was how it had always been, and it seemed funny now how obvious it looked from the outside.

Pulling away from his grip, I stood up from the couch. "Thank you, Bill Compton, but no. There is no way you can make up for our past, so I'm going to save you the trouble."

Bill stood, his mouth slightly open. "Sookie..."

I held up a hand to stop him. "I _know_, Bill. I know everything- that Hadley sold me out, that the queen sent you after me, and how you tricked me into bonding with you."

"That was no trick! I loved you- I still love you! Sookie, I don't know what lies Eric has been telling you-"

"Eric has nothing to do with it," I said, shaking my head. "I just opened my eyes. There's nothing you can say or do. It's over, Bill."

It was funny- all those tears I cried before, all the anger I felt, was manifesting itself in calm clear words. It was as if the emotions flattened out my temper and there was nothing left. I didn't have the energy for screaming at him, or questions of why. At that moment, all I wanted was to have Bill Compton out of my life forever.

Like a magic genie, the door flew open and Eric strode in, fangs flashing. "Get out of here, Compton," he snarled. Turning to me, his eyes flew up and down my form. "Are you alright, lover?"

I had no time to be annoyed at Eric's terms. I could tell he and Bill were puffing up, getting ready for a battle of manliness. "Yes, Eric, I'm fine. Bill was just leaving." I raised an eyebrow at Bill, and pointed to the door.

Bill reached out for my hand, but withdrew at a growl from Eric. "This isn't over, Sookie. I do love you, and I always will."

"Goodbye, Bill," I said, as firmly as I could. The stress of the night was creeping up on me, and I wasn't sure I could stand much longer.

Bill seemed to get the message, and with one last glare at Eric, he left the room.

******************************************************

**EPOV**

She had looked so strong, standing up to her former lover. It was hard to believe the fragile little creature next to me was the same person.

My lover was curled up next to me, sleeping in a way that only mortals can; completely carefree and unaware of the dangers watching them. Her head lay on my chest, this unfamiliar brown hair hanging about her glamoured face. Though it had only been 24 hours, I longed to see Sookie's true face again, and to touch her golden hair. Her smell, her essence was still underneath, but it wasn't the same. I closed my eyes and breathed it in, trying to forget the stranger's face that rested beside me.  
>When Sophie-Ann suggested that Hadley take her cousin out of my sight, every part of me resisted. However, the two of them had been safe the first time, while the queen and I went over my fallacious report. I reminded myself that at least this time, Compton would be there with me, and therefore Sookie would be safe.<p>

Just as Sophie-Ann was explaining her idiotic plan, Compton checked his phone. He claimed he had received a message, but my superior ears told me nothing of the sort. The young queen was too drunk off her own cleverness that she waved him off- "Go, of course, tend to your business. Eric will fill you in later."

My fists clenched at the memory of her using me as her messenger. Although I had no desire to be King, it still bothered me being ruled by a vampire a fraction of my age. Far too often she had shown me too little respect, and I was already counting the hours until she would regret it.  
>Compton had rushed off to 'answer his message', but I knew where he was going. It took every ounce of my patience and concentration to listen politely to Sophie-Ann until I had a reasonable excuse to leave. My anger was too great for me to even remember what I said to her- I hoped it wasn't anything too egregious. All I can recall from those minutes was the rush of stolen blood through my ears, and the roaring of my heart to get back to my lover.<p>

Using Sookie's faint but delicious scent as a trail, I raced with inhuman speed to the guest suite, where I was relieved to see her telling Compton to get lost. With her back to me, I could almost imagine it was her true body, hip jutting out and head cocked to the side. She remained calm and collected, however, as if her experiences from the night had already caused her to grow up and leave her temper behind.

As soon as Compton left, his tail between his legs, I realized that most of it was likely exhaustion. I decided it was a good thing- I liked my Sookie with that crazy temper. It kept life interesting.

There was so much I wanted to discuss with her- about what had happened between us in the queen's natatorium and the issue with the fae kidnappings. I wanted to tell her the queen's disturbing plan, and I wanted to know what had happened with Bill Compton.

One look at her frame, however, threw all those ideas out the window. Her legs began to buckle and I scooped her into my arms. Sookie's eyes were closed before I even reached the bedroom. I reminded myself all that she had been through that day, and I was frankly astonished she had lasted as long as she did.

Now, lying on the bed with my future lover, I allowed myself a moment of relaxation. Soon, I would have to continue with business, contact my childe, and make other preparations for the morrow. But for that one moment, I felt completely at peace with my little pixie curled up next to me.

************************************************

_Thanks for reading! Hopefully writer's block is over for the time being, and I'll be back to posting every two weeks. Let me know what you thought in the reviews! I love hearing your thoughts._


	13. Late Morning Lullaby

**It's been over a month since my last update... I feel horrible, I really do. I could give you lots of excuses for the long absence, but the main reason is that I just suck. I'm really sorry you guys. Hopefully this monster chapter will help make up for it!  
><strong>

**Shout out to my AMAZING readers, who leave me the sweetest reviews, especially TheLadyKT for being the first one to review Ch. 12. You rock!  
><strong>

_Here's a reminder of what happened last time: Sookie had just kicked Bill out of her hotel room, and Eric showed up to tuck our favorite telepath in to bed :)_**  
><strong>

**Part Thirteen: Late Morning Lullaby**

Despite being so tired, I wasn't able to sleep very well that night. When Hadley had taken me to the guest suite, it was only about 3am. Working at a bar, I'm used to staying up pretty late. Still, all the crazy events of the night left me more exhausted than I could remember being in a long while. Maybe it was an effect of the time travel as well- suddenly popping back nearly a year later would probably have some sort of consequence on my body, right? Either way, I was grateful to lay in a soft bed after tonight. Heck, I was lucky to even be alive!

Looking back, I was so grateful that Eric had been with me the entire time. Who knows what would have happened if I'd stayed with my original plan and gone alone? Hopefully I wouldn't have even made it to the front door, but most likely I'd be a Sophie-Ann sandwich right about now. Instead, Eric had kept his promise and stuck by my side all night. I couldn't believe how selfless he had been, agreeing to come with me on this fool's mission. After all, he was the Sheriff! Surely he had urgent business to be attending to that didn't involve babysitting a part-fairy with a temper. I know I had disappointed him during his game with the queen, and I still had a guilty feeling in my stomach when I thought about it. Maybe I had made it up to him by keeping my mouth shut during the meeting with Sophie-Ann and Bill, and anyway, he didn't seem all that mad when he were making out on the couch.

Then again, it was hard to tell how the blond vampire was feeling, as we hadn't had a second alone together (well, alone and out of earshot) since that morning at Franklin's house. Gosh, had it really been that long? It felt like years since I spent the night in that creep's home. And even then, we had to be quiet and careful about what was said. When I really thought about it, the last time I had a real, honest conversation with Eric was last night in the car. I hung on to his declaration for me, and all his beautiful words.

He had told me that he wanted me, all of me. In that moment, I wanted so badly to believe him. Maybe for an instant I even did. Then all the pain from my past mistakes reminded me to be careful, and I basically rejected him. I don't regret what I said- that I wasn't ready to reciprocate anything, and seeing Bill tonight reinforced that it had been the correct decision. However, every night so far Eric had been proving to me with his actions that he meant every word. Deep in my heart, I could already feel a special place growing for this new vampire. It had been cold and dead since Bill's betrayal, but there was new hope springing forth. I was careful not to let it get out of control, and reminded myself to be wary- but it was getting harder and harder to do when Eric kept being so... well, perfect wasn't the word. I guess his honesty was what really got to me. He kept showing me that he was true to himself always, and I would never have to doubt his intentions. Did that mean I could trust him with my heart? I wasn't so sure just yet.

Glancing at the clock, I realized the sun wasn't up, but my vampire was nowhere to be seen. I had been tossing and turning for what felt like hours, but it was only 4:30 in the morning. Feeling annoyed with myself and a bit groggy, I got up from the warm bed and wandered into the next room of the guest suite. Following the sounds of his murmured voice, I found Eric on the same couch that Bill had been sitting on. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his phone to his ear. His eyes snapped open as soon as I came into view, and the intensity of his gaze nearly took my breath away. I doubted I'd ever get used to seeing his gorgeous blue eyes. He spoke a few final words into the phone too quiet for me to hear, and hung up.

In a flash, he had reached out for me, and I found myself lying in his lap, my back pressed against his chest, my head just barely reaching his shoulders. I sighed and snuggled closer into his cool body, my legs fitting perfectly between his. His arms wrapped around mine, and started stroking the strands of my still-strange brunette hair.

"This will be blonde soon," he said softly. I could feel the vibrations of his voice through his strong chest. "At sunset tomorrow."

I nodded against his chest. "I knew that, I guess," I said. "I just assumed we'd be out of the palace by then. I didn't think it would take this long to find Bill!"

"Nor did I. It's odd, he was always in the way when I didn't want him, but the moment we search for him he disappears."

I laughed. "Like a sick day in the summer!" I looked up at Eric and saw he wasn't following me. "During the school year, you pray for a sick day so you can stay home. Then you get a cold during summer break, and it's the last thing you want." I could tell he still didn't completely get it, so I decided to let him off the hook. "But he found us eventually."

"Yes, and you handled him well, lover. Unfortunately, all his limbs were intact when he left, so I wouldn't quite call it a win."

I rolled my eyes at him. I guess I had to understand his animosity- Okay, so I may have had a few fantasies of disemboweling my ex-lover, but that was different. When Eric talked about it, he could actually do it. "He's not going to tell the queen that I'm alive, so it's not a loss either."

I could tell from the tensed muscles under me that Eric was worried about something. I turned my body over on him, elbows on either side of his wide chest, and looked up into his eyes. At another time, I'm sure the position could have turned into a great make-out session, but the air was far too serious for that. Eric seemed truly concerned.

"Are you so sure about that?" He asked.

Tilting my head to the side, I considered his question. I would have said yes before, because he'd known I was alive for days and never said anything to the queen. But now that he'd seen me... "No, I don't think so." I said finally. "What would be the point? He knew my secret and didn't tell her before I came to the palace. Nothing really has changed."

"Before, he had hope that you would return to him on your own," Eric said thoughtfully. "If he is still determined to have you- and tonight's events suggest that he does- Compton is in a more desperate condition than ever. Who's to say that he wouldn't go to extremes to keep you by his side?"

I didn't like the sound of that- first of all, that he wants to 'have' me? 'Keep' me? What was I, a cardigan? And, what did Eric mean by extremes? "So what's Bill's plan? Tell the queen I'm alive and I'll suddenly fall in love with him again?"

Eric smiled grimly. "No, he's too treacherous for that. I know the way he thinks, little one. He will convince himself that it's safer for you at the palace, where he can keep an eye on you, than being with me."

Shivering a little, I thought about that. Would Bill really go that far? I had made it pretty clear to him that things between us were over. I supposed it was possible that I had forced his hand. Still, I couldn't imagine Bill revealing me to the queen. Despite his betrayal, he seemed to really care about me now. Whether he wanted me for my value as a telepath and Fae, or for his mistaken notion of love for me, I didn't know. I didn't really care either. So what if Bill thought he was in love with me? I knew now that to him, love meant lies and deceit. Not to mention treating me like a fragile vase, to be admired but not necessarily respected.

I couldn't help comparing him to the vampire underneath me at the moment. Eric said not to speak of love, and it seemed as if he didn't believe in it. But from what I could see- how he treated Godric and Pam, he both respected and trusted those he cared for. However, he could still be cruel and deadly to those around him. I reminded myself what happened to the people who crossed Eric- some of whom I happened to love, like Lafayette. In some respects, Eric could be a monster, and I wondered if Bill was right to worry about my safety.

"Where did you go, lover?" Eric asked, tipping my chin up with a gentle finger. Fingers that had torn humans to shreds, and reduced my strong friend to a pile of tears.

I sat up and scooted to the edge of the couch, unable to escape Eric's long limbs. "Don't call me that," I snapped. "We aren't lovers."

I wrapped my arms around my legs and stared at the floor. _Don't trust anyone,_ I thought to myself. _Hadley, Jason, Claudette, Bill..._ My mind was whirling with all my loved ones who had lied or betrayed me. How could I even think of trusting anyone else, especially a monster like Eric?

Seeming to sense my need for space, Eric stood up and walked to the empty fireplace.

"You know how I feel about you, Sookie," he said, never turning around. I looked up at the use of my name- not 'lover' or one of his other usual endearments. His voice was quiet and full of unfamiliar emotion. I still wasn't used to hearing him talk like this, and it caught me off guard. "I told you I could be patient, and I meant it."

Taking long, slow strides, Eric made his way over to me. I appreciated that he wasn't using his vampire speed, and it gave me time to adjust to his words. Sitting next to me, he looked steadily into my eyes and I was caught in their blue gaze. As if he had read my thoughts from earlier, he said, "I understand it is hard for you to trust me, but you have been doing a wonderful job so far. You followed my lead and listened. And it worked- your trust in me was rewarded, was it not? Here we are, safe and alive."

I nodded, yes, his plan had worked so far. But he still didn't seem to get my point- it wasn't so hard trusting his knowledge of vampire politics. What I was worried about was trusting him with my heart. I opened my mouth, not sure what I was going to say, but he held one long finger to my lips.

"You did so well tonight- not just with Bill, but how you dealt with the Queen." I rolled my eyes, about to protest how big a mess I made with that one, but he again seemed to read my mind before I could speak it. "Yes, you reacted when you saw your cousin. But I understand now. You were not expecting to see her here, were you?"  
>At a shake of my head, he continued, a bit more smug at my agreement. "The way you think on your feet, your courage, and how smart you are. I had guessed that you would do well in the palace, yet you continue to surpass my expectations." Reaching a hand out to my chin, he caressed my face gently. "Yes, I was proud of you tonight, Sookie. You only reinforce my intention to claim you as my own."<p>

I felt tears coming to my eyes as his words truly touched me. I honestly couldn't remember the last time someone had said they'd been proud of me. Deep down inside, I had been yearning to hear those words. Somehow I never seemed to make anyone proud- my mama and daddy were horrified by my curse, and no one had really ever called me smart before. '_Stupid, stubborn, and strange_' were the usual adjectives used to describe Sookie Stackhouse. Yet this thousand year old vampire, who had surely seen so much of the world, was proud of me? I didn't know what to say. _Damn you, Eric,_ I thought. Just as I had been convincing myself of what a monster he was, he had to go and give me the most beautiful gifts anyone had ever given me.

Without my permission, a tear fell down my cheek and landed onto the back of my hand. Before I could wipe it off, Eric leaned forward and tongued my skin, clearing the salty teardrop away. His gentle mouth left a kiss in its place, and the air suddenly felt much too heavy. His kindness, his honesty, it was all too much for my heart. Unbidden, tear after tear fell from my face until I was sobbing uncontrollably.

After a few minutes, I realized I was cradled in Eric's strong arms, tight and secure. I felt a low rumbling coming from his chest that comforted and calmed my frayed nerves. His cool lips kissed away each tear, almost chastely. He seemed genuinely curious about them, as if each tear had a new flavor. For once there was very little sexual about his kisses, and I was reminded of a mother lion licking her cub. The image caused me to giggle, and I was rewarded with a quirked eyebrow.

"I did not wish to make you cry," he said, a bit of humor in his voice.

"It's not your fault," I said, or tried to anyway. A yawn came out where 'fault' was supposed to go, and I felt another rumble of amusement through his big chest.

"You need sleep," he said knowingly. His large hands traced large rivers down my back, soothing my muscles into happy submission.

"So do you," I grumbled sleepily.

"Business first," Eric replied, and I groaned. After my emotional outburst, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and dream of home. However, I knew he was right. My spell was going to end tomorrow, and we needed to discuss the plan. Oddly, I didn't feel too nervous. Despite my misgivings about his character, I felt I could trust Eric to get me out of the palace alive.

"I was talking to my day man," he said, continuing his heavenly ministrations on my back. "He drove out here tonight. Tomorrow he will come to the palace and collect you."

"And they'll just let me go?" I asked, disbelieving. "I thought I was the pet of the great Eric Northman!"

"You think anyone would dare touch my property without my permission?" Eric smirked down at me. "I have already warned the queen's assistant that I am loaning you out to Franklin Mott, and that you are to already be waiting for him in his home when he wakes."

I nearly leaped out of Eric's lap, but he held me tight. Disgust rolled through my stomach at the idea of being 'loaned' to another vampire. I couldn't believe humans were really treated that way. Yes, it was just a cover story, but did he really want me alone with Franklin Mott?

"Are you crazy?" I exclaimed. "You're gonna send me to that psycho's? Without you?" I squirmed a bit more on his lap, trying to get away, but the blond bastard just seemed to enjoy it more, so I quickly stilled.

"I have been busy tonight, my little fairy," he said, settling me back against him. His hands moved to the back of my neck, teasing out the muscles that laid coiled there under the skin. Unbidden, I let out a little moan of pleasure, and relaxed a bit. "Franklin received a call from me, sending him to Monroe, 300 miles away from us."

Shaking my head, I marveled at what this vampire could do given a few hours. I was beginning to see what it took to stay alive for a thousand years. Again, he proved my doubts unfounded. Had I given it one second of thought, I should have realized Eric would never leave me alone with Mott. I decided to forgive my momentary carelessness- after all, it had been a really long day.

Eric dropped his chin to the top of my head, and I wondered if he was as tired as I was. "Be ready by 2, and I will meet you there an hour after sunset."

"How will you get away from Sophie-Ann?" I asked, although I was sure he already had a reason for that as well. He was giving me fewer and fewer reasons to doubt him.

"She kept me here tonight, knowing that I wished to leave. I suspect her ego has been filled enough for now, and her point has been made."

"Mm," I agreed, too tired to say much else. Apparently, I didn't need to, as the vampire lifted me up and, for the second time that night, carried me to bed. My body felt like a rag doll, and I allowed him to move me as he pleased. Once under those impossibly soft covers, I was unable to even open my eyes to look at him. "Goodnight, Eric," I whispered.

************************************************

That night I dreamt of a river. I was sunning myself along the bank, sitting on a warm blanket. The sun was beating down on me and the temperature had just tipped over the edge of too hot. I decided to stretch out and stick my toes in to the cool stream. The dark water felt so wonderful and soothing on my hot feet, that I dipped more and more of myself into it.

Waist deep, I waded out to the middle of the river. It seemed to stretch on for miles, and I walked downstream. Leaves flowed past me, gently gliding with the current. I wandered farther down, until the water was just below my shoulder blades and my yellow hair floated behind me. I was somehow naked now, in the way that seems to happen in dreams, and the gentle waters felt as if they traveled straight through my skin. The feeling was glorious and I walked a bit faster, trying to get more. I felt as if I walked fifty miles, yet my body was more refreshed than ever.

The current began to pick up, and I dug my feet into the sandy riverbed. The leaves were rushing by faster and faster, and I could feel the once-calm river slamming against my legs. My feet could hold on no longer, and I was swept along. The riverbank had disappeared, and all I saw for miles around me were dark, stormy waters. I tried to swim, but could no longer remember how. All I could do was bob up and down, trying to breathe the air.

The water was no longer pleasantly cool- it was deathly freezing and my teeth chattered. The sun had disappeared, and I missed its heat. The world was dark, and deciphering the water from the sky was impossible. Not knowing which way was up, I panicked and choked on icy water. I thought of my parents, and wondered if this was how they felt when their car was swallowed by the flood.

Somehow I knew that my parents were underneath me, waiting. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body. When I opened them, I was deep under the water. The light down there was tinged red, as if someone had wrung out bloody laundry. Through the murky water, I saw a wreckage; twisted bits of metal, a rusted out bathtub, old tires, all piled in a heap. My parents, I was sure, were just around the corner of it. I could almost feel my mama's arms around me, and I moved towards where I knew her to be.

The minute I reached the other side of the wreck, a pale, pointed face flew around the corner, horrible arms reaching out for me. It was Mab, terrifying and powerful. She was grabbing my arm, shrieking at me. The noise was unbearable and I tried to cover my ears. The fairy queen dragged me towards her, and I could feel her sharp nails dig into my skin. Her mouth gaped open, and I could see razor-sharp teeth inside, hungry for my flesh.

Pulling away with all my might, I shut out her voice and screamed "NO! No no no no no!"

************  
>I woke with a start, my voice scratchy and sore. There was a girl standing above me, her hand hovering in the air as if unsure if she should touch me. Scrambling to the headboard, I clutched the sheet to my chest and focused on getting my breathing under control. It had just been a dream- there were no fairies inside a vampire palace. <em>Well, except for me<em>, I thought.

Looking at the girl, I snapped, "What are you doing in here?" The room was spinning and I felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen in my brain.

I felt a twinge of guilt when I heard her thoughts. The poor thing had been trying to wake me for minutes, and wasn't sure if she should leave and tell her boss that she failed her assignment. She looked just as scared as me, standing awkwardly in her navy-blue uniform. "I'm s-s-sorry, Miss," she stammered. "I was told to w-w-wake you. I apologize for the intrusion."

I sighed. She was just doing her job, although I was still on edge. I didn't like the thought of anyone being in my room while I was sleeping, especially with Eric dead to the world right next to me. I knew his coffin was top-of-the-line, and could only be accessed with the code, but still- it made me nervous knowing how easy it apparently was to sneak up on us.

"It's fine," I said, smoothing out my brown hair. "Who exactly told you to wake me?"

I saw from her thoughts that she had no clue who I was, or who wanted me awake. "I work for the Hospitality Crew," she explained. "Making the beds, delivering newspapers, things like that. I really am sorry, Miss. Usually we do wake-up calls over the phone, but my boss said to be completely sure you were awake, and that a phone call wouldn't be certain enough."

The poor thing looked about ready to burst into tears, and her panicky thoughts were sending me over the edge. "Thank you..." I looked at her nametag. "Mandy. I'm awake, I'll make sure that your boss knows you did your job."

Edging towards the door, Mandy asked "Is there anything else?" _'Say no, please say no, get me out of here...'_ she thought.

"No, thank you," I told her, releasing her. She was out of my room faster than a hunted rabbit, and I let out a deep breath.

My dream had seriously disturbed me, and it was not the way I wanted to start my day. It had seemed so real, and I could still feel the icy grip of the fairy queen's claws. Since my trip to fairy land just a few days ago, I had been actively trying to repress the scary memories from that place. Besides, there were too many other things to deal with in this world. I knew, however, that it couldn't stay that way forever, and at some point I'd have to deal with the fact that there were fairies out there who wanted to get me. It seemed those fears were finding their way into my subconscious, urging me to get back to what was really important. I wondered, had I been wasting my time chasing Bill and these vampires when the real danger was out there preparing something?

Surely, the dream was just my subconscious trying to get me to take the fairy threat seriously- at least, I hoped that what was happening. Except, this dream felt different than my usual ones. It was more real, and had a sense of urgency to it. Perhaps it was an after-effect of spending time in fairy land. I remembered the first time I drank Eric's blood, and the kind of dreams I had then. I reassured myself that it was only that- a leftover trace of magic from being in their land and not anything more sinister.

But still, there was that nagging thought that I was too scared to voice out loud: what if fairies could travel through dreams? What if my dream was real?

I examined my arm where dream-Mab had grabbed me, feeling paranoid and a bit silly. Unfortunately, I noticed I had all sorts of bruising on my arms and neck, presumably from the rough treatment at Eric's hands last night. They must have developed while I slept. I told myself that there was no way any of them were from my dream, and brushed off the worried feeling in my stomach as hunger. After all, the burger and fries from Hadley had been hours ago.

Instinctively I looked towards the closet containing Eric's coffin, wishing he were there to give me some reassurance. He had been wonderful last night after Bill had left. Every time all this supernatural stuff filled up in my life and threatened to overwhelm me, he seemed to know exactly what to say and how to lighten the load. I looked at the clock, noticing that it was 1:30. Exactly five hours until sunset, if I was remembering my solar calendar correctly.

I stretched and stood from the bed, wandering over to the bathroom. After using the toilet, I noticed there was a black envelope taped to the mirror. Opening the thick card stock, I smiled and read what Eric had written.

_S-_

_Bobby Burnham will arrive at the palace at 2:30 PM. I wish to give your sweet body enough time to recover, but it is imperative that you leave on time. We do not want to disappoint Mr. Mott, do we? Hopefully the palace staff have awakened you with time to prepare._

_Fondly,_

_E_

It appeared Eric was taking precautions with the letter, making sure it wouldn't give away my secret were a maid or someone to stumble across it. I was again pleased with my choice of pseudonym, as 'S' could stand for Sookie or Sara.

I had a little over an hour- I decided to take a long, hot shower in this gorgeous bathroom before facing reality once more.  
>******<p>

_Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I love hearing what you want to happen! Some of you have really diabolical things in mind for Hadley, lol._


	14. Losing Heart

_My own "Gran" passed away in June, so I'd like to dedicate this chapter to her. She was a huge True Blood fan :)_

_In case you've forgotten, here's what's been happening: Eric and Sookie discussed Bill's motives, Sookie cried in front of Eric, followed by a fae dream that may or may not have been real..._

_As an apology for my absence, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Also, here are some lemons ;)_

** PART FOURTEEN: Losing Heart**

**SPOV**

The clock read 2:30 and my foot was kicking against the chair nervously. I had already showered, shaved, and primped as much as I could to avoid thinking about what was happening. The floor-length gown from last night was pretty much ruined. The combination of making out with Eric on the couch and sleeping all night in it had left more wrinkles than even my Gran's iron could get out. I didn't mind too much- those few minutes I spent being practically mauled by Eric were some of the hottest I could remember. I was glad one of us had come to our senses and stopped, otherwise we would have given the other vamps quite the show!

The only other outfits I had packed were the leather pants and halter combo, and a short black dress. As I wasn't planning on seeing any vampires that day, I didn't see the point in slutting it up that much with the leather, so I slipped on the dress. It had thin straps and a modest neckline, and fell in a flutter just above my knee. Despite the dark color, it felt light and fresh on my skin, almost like a sundress. I would have preferred sandals, but beggars can't be choosers, and I stepped into my heels from last night.

My grumbling stomach reminded me to eat, and I found a mini fridge in the sitting room. There wasn't much inside- a few bottles of soda and condiments. There was a wooden cupboard next to it, hiding a pantry full of canned soup and mixed nuts, along with a working microwave. By this time I would have eaten my own purse, so I heated up a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I nearly burned my tongue eating it, and then heated another. Satiated but not satisfied, I cleaned up my small mess and brushed my teeth again.

Now, perched on the edge of the recliner, all I could do was worry about getting out of the palace. Each minute that ticked by was one less that I had to hide under this glamour. I didn't know what would happen if I turned back into my true form before my escape, and I really didn't want to think about it. Part of me thought Eric would fight tooth and nail for me, but I also knew even he had his limits. If the queen caught me, would there really be anything he could do to help?

I was interrupted from my worries by a brief knock on the door. Before I could ask who it was, the door swung open and a man walked in. He was taller than me, but not by much, with thinning brown hair and eyes that sat too close together. His rumpled clothes looked as if he had slept in his car, and his face could have used a shave. I assumed he was Eric's dayman, and checked his thoughts just to make sure.

_That must be her. Was this really necessary for me to drive all this fucking way? Doesn't even look like a good screw. Maybe that's why he wants her out of here so fast, not even waiting til he wakes up._ "Sara?" He asked roughly.

I nodded, trying not to react to his rude thoughts. "Are you Mr. Burnham?" Without answering, he picked up my duffel bag. "Come on."

I supposed that was the most I was going to get out of him. His thoughts wandered to how tired he was and I silently agreed that we could both use a cup of coffee. Following him out the door, I cast one last glance at the bedroom, where I knew Eric was sleeping. I said a quick prayer that he would be alright, even though a vampire as old as him probably didn't need it. Bobby seemed to know where he was going, so I stayed one step behind him and allowed him to lead us. Reminding myself that all the vampires were dead to the world, I tried to slow my breathing down to normal. If I could just get out of the queen's palace, I was sure everything would turn out alright.

A few of the doorways we passed had a guard or two posted, but they merely met Bobby's eyes and gave a small nod. They seemed to know who he was, and didn't even spare me a glance. In a way, it was comforting to know how unimportant I was to them. If they thought I was somebody special, I doubt the queen would have let me leave her home. For once, it was good not to be wanted.

After a few stairways, I recognized the foyer where Charles had met us the night before. My heart leaped at the thought of finally leaving this giant nest of vampires and danger, and I could almost feel the warm afternoon sun.

"Sara?" A voice called from my left. Shoot, I thought. Of course Hadley would be awake during the day!

Slowly turning around, I plastered my usual fake smile into place. "How nice to see you, Hadley," I said politely. Bobby seemed unsure who this human was, and he was being cautious. I could tell he wanted to get the hell out of there as badly as I did, but neither of us wanted to arouse suspicion

. "Where are you going? Sophie said Eric was stayin' for the night." Hadley had a confused look on her face. _Well, she usually is,_ a voice inside of me thought. Deciding I'd scold myself later for those unchristian thoughts, I addressed my cousin.

"He is, I guess. I don't really know his plans. I just go where he tells me."

"Oh," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. "I had hoped you'd stick around for a while. It's kinda nice having another pet around!"

I shuddered, trying to hide my disgust at her phrase. How could she honestly think of herself in that way? I realized that I pitied my cousin. Something in her life had obviously caused her self esteem to plummet so low. What could have happened to her to give her so little self worth? I knew she had been into drugs, but...

Hadley had always housed a deep loneliness that flowed out of her that you couldn't help but notice. In the palace, on the arm of a Queen, she was able to hide it away and pretend it wasn't there, but I saw it now in her eyes. All the attention, sex and money that Sophie-Ann lavished upon her couldn't make up for what was missing. She was desperate for any sort of affection, even from a complete stranger she had met the night before.

I remembered that she had always been that way. Her loneliness and self-hatred had been there her entire life, lurking under the surface. Like me, all Hadley had ever wanted was someone to love her. She had tried to fill that hole with drugs and sex, while I hid in Gran's house and pretended to not need it. Hadley and I had more in common than I had thought, and I wanted so badly in that moment to forgive her.

Something in my face must have betrayed my feelings, as Hadley attempted to cheer me up. "Don't look so sad!" She laughed, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe when we set up this fairy trap, Eric will bring you with him again."

Ah, there it was. Why I still couldn't forgive and forget my cousin's actions. She really didn't see anything wrong with hurting other people for her own needs. She didn't care if people were ripped away from their homes or even killed, if it let her see a potential friend again. She was still that same drug addict, willing to do anything to make the loneliness go away, no matter the consequences. So what if fairies and humans alike were killed, if she got a little affection and love out of the bargain? It was like the time she stole Gran's money to go get high- the money Gran had set aside for knee surgery. It wasn't as if Hadley had been blind. She knew the consequences of her actions, but as long as she wasn't the one paying the price, she did it anyway.

I made my mouth into something like a smile, and nodded briefly. I couldn't form the words to say goodbye, and I saw my cousin's expression falter for a second. Bobby's hand was insistent on my shoulder, and I allowed him to guide me to the front door. I kept my eyes resolutely in front of me, not risking a look back.

It wasn't until I found myself in the front seat of Bobby's Pontiac Firebird (less cool by far than Eric's Corvette) that I let out the breath I had been holding. I was out of the palace, and into the safety of the afternoon sun. Looking out the window at the city passing by, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Bobby drove well past the speed limit, but I barely noticed. I couldn't stop grinning, and felt as if I had gotten away with stealing out of the cookie jar. I had been right under the queen's nose, and here I was, alive and well! The car pulled up in front of Franklin Mott's house. I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door, but Bobby held out a hand.

"Stay here," he ordered. Reluctantly, I obeyed and listened into his thoughts. It seemed as if Eric had told him to check the house for danger, and Bobby didn't want any reason for his employer to be angry. Huffing at Eric's high-handedness, I crossed my arms and waited for Bobby to circle the house, and rolled my eyes when he entered the house and disappeared from sight.

After a minute of waiting, Bobby reappeared and opened the car for me. That was as far as his manners extended, and I struggled out of the car seat in my dress and duffel bag without so much as an offered hand. Once I was steadily on my feet, I turned around to thank him. Although I wanted to be alone, I thought it polite to at least offer him coffee or something, since he drove all the way out here to transport me.

Before the words left my mouth, Bobby was already on the driver's side, getting into his Pontiac. With one last glare in my direction, the dayman was spinning out of the driveway and out of view.

_What a pleasant man,_ I thought sardonically. Straightening my shoulders, I decided to walk into Franklin's home without fear. Bobby had checked it out, and I had no reason to doubt Eric's ability to protect me. The home was just as I remembered it- both strange and creepy, and I decided to wait in what I hoped was the room he spent the least amount of time- the kitchen. Franklin had mentioned human pets of his own, and I hoped that it meant he had a working coffee pot.

A few minutes later, I found an old Mr. Coffee hidden under the sink. It was a bit dusty, and I had no idea when the coffee had been purchased, but it was better than nothing. Just to be safe, I ran a pot of hot water to get it all cleaned out before adding the actual grounds. Franklin's fridge was bare, so I settled for black with no sugar.

Two cups of coffee later, I was feeling a lot more excited and restless. The clock read almost four, and I wondered how I was going to make it the two and a half hours until sundown. I couldn't wait for night to come, for my true body to return, and for Eric to take me home to Bon Temps.

There were tons of problems waiting for me there- I had been gone a year, was unemployed, and not speaking to my brother. I didn't particularly want to make up with him. Besides that, I had fairies after me, and a vampire queen trying to use my family as bait. As of now, only Eric, Bill, Tara, Sam, Jason, and Jessica knew of my return. Today was the fourth day of my return- eventually the news would spread and reach the ear of some loyal subject, and I didn't know how I could protect myself then. The fairies might learn of my whereabouts as well, and that would add even more danger.

Sighing, I flopped down on Franklin' couch. There were so many worries going through my brain, it felt as if I was in a crowded room. Oddly, I wished Eric was there so I could lose myself in his silent mind, and feel safe in his presence. He angered me like no other, yet I never felt scared when I was with him. I couldn't imagine much that he couldn't protect me from. I hated feeling that way. I wanted so badly to be able to rely on myself and retain my proud independence, but I had to face the facts; I was in a scary world, where I was considered prey. Earth had changed dramatically since the vampires came out, and maybe it wasn't enough anymore to be a strong, intelligent woman. I had been on my own for so long, trying to take care of myself, Jason, and Gran. Was it so wrong to want someone to take care of me for a while?

I groaned at my sappy train of thought. I could accept Eric's help, but I wasn't going to depend too heavily on him either. Mind made up, I tried to figure out what to do with myself until Eric woke for the night. Apparently, that was easier said than done, as my mind wandered back to the blonde vampire over and over again.

Lost in thought, I felt my eyes droop, and allowed myself to fall into a light sleep. It was the kind of nap where you're still aware of the couch under you and the clock ticking away, yet you're still in that fuzzy space of restfulness. After the craziness of yesterday, it felt divine.

After a while I realized how cold it was in the house. Glancing around for a clock, I wrapped myself in the decorative blanket on the armchair. The time read 6:15, and I was shocked at how long I had slept. It really had only felt like a few minutes since my eyes closed. The windows let in the barest of sunlight, and I realized there was only a quarter of an hour until sundown. I didn't know how long it would take before Eric would be back from the palace, but he had made it seem like he would come as soon as he could. He had the Corvette, so I guessed that he wouldn't fly. Shaking my head, I realized how silly it was to worry about Eric's movements. In a way, I was glad he wouldn't be here right after the sun went down, as I was hoping to be back in my own body the next time I saw him.

The witch had said the glamour would end after the second moon- Eric had assumed that meant 6:30 tonight, and I agreed. Remembering the painful transformation, I decided it would be a good idea to put something in my stomach besides coffee. I padded back into the kitchen, where a thorough search revealed nothing but some shortbread cookies and a dusty can of peanut butter. The expiration date on the cookies wasn't too bad, and the package was unopened. I opened them and bit into a cookie, and before I knew it I had eaten the entire container. Promising myself a more balanced diet once I returned to Bon Temps, I cleaned up the mess and drank a cup of water.

I felt as prepared as I could be, yet I couldn't help wishing the witch from the store, Amelia, was there this time. I wasn't really used to magic, and I felt a nervous tightening in my stomach.

Reminding myself of all the much tougher things I had been through, I laid down on the couch and tried to relax. Fears and worries rushed through my head- what if I was stuck in this body? What if it stopped half way through? What if something goes wrong? Suddenly, it seemed incredibly stupid to do this without a witch. I mean, Octavia hadn't even told me what to expect! What if I was supposed to be doing something, like burning incense? I wasn't a witch, for goodness sake!

_Calm down_, I told myself sternly. Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths starting in my belly and out slowly through my nose. Slowly and carefully, I fought off the anxiety attack that was threatening to overwhelm me. I stubbornly refused to look at the clock, and reached up to close the blinds. _This will work_, I repeated. _This will work_.

After a few minutes, I felt nothing happen. Still, I continued my deep breathing and repeated my mantra. I continued this until I lost track of time, and gradually I felt warm all over. It was like sitting next to a bonfire on a cool night, pleasant and cozy. I sighed and felt all my muscles relax. Oddly enough, I felt good, better than I had in a long time. My whole body tingled pleasantly, almost like the beginning of an orgasm. Everything felt right, and peaceful.

No longer worried, I opened my eyes and sat up. Looking down, I realized my skin was back to it's normal healthy tan, and the black dress I was wearing was now a bit too tight around the bust. Biting back a yelp of joy, I ran to the bathroom.

Staring back at me was my old familiar self, and never had I been happier to see me. My blonde hair fell in soft waves around my shoulders, and my eyes were back to their regular color. I grinned broadly, and let out a laugh. I ran my hands over my body, and jumped in little hops. It worked! I was utterly amazed at how easy the transition had been, especially considering how much it had burned the last time. Thinking about it, I supposed that it made sense. This was my body's natural state, and somehow it knew that. The change into Sara was wrong, unnatural, and my body had fought it. Of course returning to my true body was easy- it was as it should be.

Practically floating back to the living room, I checked the time again. 6:45- was that enough time for Eric to get here by now? I reasoned it had taken Bobby about fifteen minutes to drive me here. If Eric had left as soon as he rose for the night, he would be here any minute. I felt a flutter of excitement in my stomach at the idea, and knew a ridiculous grin was crossing my face. At the moment I didn't care- I was back in my own body, safe and free, and all I wanted was to make out with Eric again.

Before my mind could come up with any more thoughts about the blonde vampire, my stomach let out a distracting growl. I guessed the magic had made me hungry again, and I returned to the kitchen. Eyeing the old peanut butter, I wondered, was there really no other option? I ransacked Franklin's kitchen, looking for anything more edible. Just like earlier, the fridge was completely empty. The freezer revealed ice cubes, half a bottle of vodka, and some more coffee grounds. The cupboards were bare, save a few cups, plates, and bowls. Every other shelf had a layer of dust, and all the drawers were empty. I found a few utensils in the dishwasher, and some cleaning supplies under the sink.

Perching up on the counter, I considered my options. Leaving the house after sundown was out of the question, and I didn't have a phone to order delivery. Really, I didn't think it would take Eric that long to get here, so maybe I could wait it out and ask him to stop somewhere for food. He was probably hungry as well- I hadn't seen him eat anything the night before. Deciding coffee was better than nothing, I made myself another pot and settled back into the living room to wait.

Glaring at the clock, I watched the stupid minute hand tick forward: 8:31. I had been waiting two hours and Eric still wasn't here. Where the heck was he?

During the first hour, I told myself he was still waking up. Maybe he had to have a snack first, or say goodbye to the queen. By 7:45, however, I was running out of excuses. Why wasn't Eric there?

My stomach growled angrily, and I frowned. Unable to sit on the couch any longer, I got up and stormed to the kitchen. So what if it was old and dusty- I was going to eat some peanut butter! Grabbing a spoon and the jar, I tentatively took one bite. The first taste on my tongue was amazing. I had forgotten how good peanut butter could taste! Apparently a bit of dust on the lid didn't mean the contents had gone bad. Sitting on the counter with my knees bent up, I attacked the jar.

With every spoonful I became more and more angry. My mind ran wild with all the places Eric could be. What if he was feeding on some fangbanger at Sophie-Ann's, while I was here starving in Franklin Mott's creepy-ass house? The blood in my veins burned at the thought of him touching one of those women I had seen the night before. How dare he let me languish here, knowing how important it was to me to get home, just so he can have some fun at the palace?

Suddenly, I had an even worse thought- what if it was all a horrible trick? What if Eric was sitting with Bill and the queen, laughing at how pathetic I was to trust yet another vampire? My lungs constricted as I felt the familiar sting of betrayal. After all, I thought Bill had loved me, when all along he was selling me out to the queen.

Thinking it through, I told myself that it wasn't possible. Why would the queen let me out of her sight if she knew all along I was a fairie? No, Eric had risked too much for me to sell me out now. Remembering all he had done for my sake, I felt a sick feeling of shame. No matter what Bill had done to me, Eric didn't deserve my suspicion. As hard as it was to trust him, he had given me no reason to doubt.

Then why was he so late? Looking at the empty jar in my hands, I realized a long time had passed while I was lost in my angry and jealous thoughts. Trying not to run back to the living room, I examined the clock. It was now three hours after sunset, and still no Eric. Surely if he expected it to take this long to leave the palace, he would have said something last night! The sheriff was not the type to leave things to chance. He seemed to have a plan for every contingency, and this just felt wrong.

I felt panic begin to claw its way up my throat. Had Eric been found out? If the queen knew he had lied to her, and hidden from her the thing she desired most, I couldn't even imagine what would be done to him. I felt tears prickle behind my eyes as I thought of what he might endure because of me.

I needed to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help Eric, and neither would it make me feel better. I tried to do my deep breathing exercise again, but I couldn't banish the rolling fear in my gut. I had to do something- but what? I had a little money, maybe I could take a cab to the Palace and...

And what? Letting out a sigh of frustration, I paced across the living room. My mind came up with plan after plan, each more ridiculous than the last.

Finally, I made up my mind. I didn't care that it might be the death of me- I was going to the Palace. I wasn't totally sure how I would get there, or how I would get inside without being recognized, but hopefully I'd figure it out on the way. Grabbing my purse, I reached for the doorknob.

Before I could touch it, the door flew open and I was faced with the sight of Eric, towering over me. His coat was ripped in places and his blue shirt was drenched in what looked like blood. He paused mid-step, his eyes blazing with emotions that I couldn't decipher.

For half a second I was afraid, and then before I knew it I was throwing myself in his arms, sobbing.

**EPOV**

Looking down at the pixie in my arms, I found myself at a sudden loss of what to do. All I had thought about since I rose that night was finding my way to her. Now that I found her, there wasn't a being in existence that could tear her from my arms.

I had expected her to be angry, and yet the way she was clutching at me, murmuring how much she missed me, begging me not to leave her again, I was reminded once again to never underestimate this woman. It was such a relief to look down and see her honey-blonde hair and those lovely breasts. Her scent hadn't changed with the witch's glamour, but I had missed her true self all the same. This was my Sookie, spitfire and fairy dust and warm life all rolled into that alluring body.

I had held her on several occasions before, even kissed her delectable mouth, but this was the first time where I couldn't detect even a single ounce of reluctance on her part. There was no anger, no meaningless arguments- just her willing body. In fact, from the way she was clutching me, I doubted I would be able to convince her to let me go.

Her face was pressed against my chest, and I hooked a finger under her chin. When she looked up at me, her lips parted and eyes glowing with tears, I noticed the blood from my shirt had smeared over her tanned cheeks. The wounds that had leaked it were long since closed, but it didn't change the fact that it was one of the most erotic things I had ever seen. Unbidden, my fangs dropped down and I felt a growl ripple through my body.

My hands gripped the sides of her face as my lips met hers. There was no time for softness or tender declarations. My tongue demanded entrance, and she wisely let me in. Her mouth tasted sweet and salty at the same time, and it was just as soft as I remembered. Gods, I could never get enough of kissing Sookie. Each time was better than the last, and yet I desired so much more.

Feeling her hands tearing the buttons of my shirt, I moaned my approval. It appeared she was just as needy as I, as my hands found their way to her curvaceous ass. I pulled her even closer and ground my hips against her, thrusting my tongue into her mouth mercilessly.

Sookie whimpered against my fangs, and my nostrils picked up the smell of her arousal. It was enough to drive me out of my mind. Drawing back and allowing her to breathe, I nipped at her full bottom lip, drawing a bead of her delicious blood. The drop melted on my tongue and I felt myself grow impossibly harder. Her fingers were teasing my nipples, featherlight touches that were sending me over the edge. She was so fucking warm, warmer than any human I had been with. I briefly wondered if she was burning me up, before realizing that I didn't care. It was a much better way to die than sunlight.

Grabbing her ass with both hands, I lifted Sookie up and turned us, so that her back was now against the wall. She looked up at me, her eyes blazing with desire. Wrapping her tanned legs around my waist, the flowy black fabric of her dress fell around her hips. Her hands grasped the back of my neck and pulled me closer, so she could lave my throat with her tongue. I groaned as I felt her bite down, hard enough to leave a mark but not yet drawing blood.

She divested me of my coat and shirt, and I allowed them to fall to the ground. Her hands roamed my chest as I nuzzled her ear, nipping and licking, trying to memorize her taste. With Sookie's legs wrapped around me so firmly, I was able to use my hands without worrying about dropping her. This was the first time I was touching her true breasts, and I caressed them worshipfully. They were pert and warm, and I couldn't wait. Pulling her strap to the side, I released her left breast to the air. Her nipple was a perfect pink bud, standing out and begging to be tasted. Lowering my head and pulling her even closer, I closed my mouth around it and groaned. Sookie's hands were in my hair, whimpering softly as she held me to her breast. Neither of us wanted to end the contact, and I bit down gently. My ministrations elicited a moan, which called my attention back to her mouth.

Once again united in a kiss, our tongues battled and danced. Finally, Sookie pulled away, gasping, and my eyes strayed to her pulsing throat. Every instinct in my body said to bite her now, but I remembered my promise to her. I was not a newly made vampire, yet it took every ounce of my control to not mark her in that way.

Instead, I buried my face in her neck, and thrust against her as roughly as I dared. Her skirt rode up, so that the only thing separating my erection from her core were my trousers and her thin panties. Sookie's heat was more than enough to burn through the fabric, and I groaned as my cock reached for her fire.

I couldn't remember ever being this hard, and I drew back to look at the face of the woman who was doing this to me. Her eyes were heavy with lust, lips parted and panting. With every thrust, she let out a low moan, her back pounding against the wall. I needed to see her face flush with release, and tilted my hips so that I was rubbing against her clit. Her eyes widened at the contact, and she clutched at my neck desperately.

"Please, Eric," she whimpered. Her own hips were thrusting against mine urgently, and I could feel the tension building in both of us. Returning my attentions to her delicate nipples, I licked and sucked until I felt her shudder around me. With a furious thrust, I ground myself against her, growling as her orgasm erupted. Her heat surrounded me and my cock gladly met its own release.

My knees weak, I moved us both to the couch. Settled on my lap, Sookie's breaths were coming in fast pants, and I watched, fascinated, as she came down from her high. Now that my lust was somewhat sated, I was amused to see that I had come in my pants from no more than a frenzied hump-session against a wall. Did Sookie even realize the power she had over me? I couldn't remember the last time I had felt such a desire.

Despite my powerful orgasm, I was not nearly satisfied. I knew I wouldn't be until I was sheathed inside the little fairie, with my fangs in her neck. Rubbing her back slowly, I began to kiss my way down the valley of her breasts. I doubted that in a thousand years of living, I had ever seen their match.

"Eric," Sookie said shakily, "Wait."

Fuck. I had been afraid of this- had she finally come to her senses? The anger I had expected upon my arrival was sure to come out now that our heads were calmer.

Pulling back, I looked into her eyes. I was surprised to see, rather than anger, the desire in her face nearly matched my own. Raising an eyebrow, I waited for her to explain why she had stopped me.

"I can't do this here. Not in his house."

I froze. What had I been thinking? It wasn't just her ability to make me come like a teenager again. Sookie's charms had caused me to throw away all the caution and self preservation that I had amassed over the years. I honestly wouldn't have minded fucking her right here in Mott's house, distasteful as his presence was. Hell, I'd do her in his bed if she'd let me!

No, the real problem was that we were still in New Orleans. The queen may have managed to follow me, and I knew we'd both be safer back in Shreveport. Besides, I couldn't be certain that Mott would obey my orders and stay away.

Worried by my silence, Sookie continued. "It's not that I don't want to. I mean, that was pretty great." I gave her a glare. Great? Try fucking amazing. "But if we don't leave now, the sun will be up before we get there. Besides, this house is creepy."

I chuckled as she shuddered dramatically. "You are right, lover. The sunrise is in a few hours, and we have miles to go. Come." Standing, I dropped her lightly on her feet and indulged in one last kiss. I pulled away, satisfied to see the disappointment in her eyes. "Get your things."

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**Tell me what you think! You loving it? Hating it? Want more?**

**I know it's hard to follow a story when the author takes so long between updates. Unfortunately, that's just the way I am- s..l...o...w. I appreciate every single one of you for putting up with me! M'wuah! =0_0=**


	15. Have You Ever

A/N: aaaand we're back! It's been two months, anyone still with me? Here's a reminder of what happened last time: Sookie waited at Franklin's house for Eric to show up, and realized how much she'd care if something happened to him. Eric arrived super late, covered in blood, and things got a little heated...

Thanks to vampirelizgurl, my super awesome beta! Shout-out to ToxicMayhem for catching the BtVS references!

*warning, graphic violence in this chapter*

**Sookie POV**

The ride home was spent in a mostly comfortable silence. I had convinced Eric to stop thirty miles out of New Orleans to get me some food. As short on time as we were, he allowed me to eat in his precious Corvette, as long as I stuck to something not too messy. Feeling hungry but sick from the burgers and peanut butter, I chose some fruit and mini muffins at the all-night grocery.

After I had eaten my fill, Eric seemed content to just drive. His jacket was in the trunk, and his smooth chest was exposed from where I had torn his shirt. Blushing, I almost couldn't believe my actions from earlier that night. Honestly, I couldn't even explain it. All the build up of not knowing where Eric was and worrying for his safety, had every fiber of my being on edge. Then, when he had finally shown up, covered in blood- oh god, had it been his own blood? I didn't even know! - All I could think of was how I needed to be with him.

I knew I should be ashamed of myself. What would Gran say, if she knew I acted that way with a man, after having sex with my other lover just four days ago? Even though it had been a year for everyone else, in my memory, it had just been since Saturday night when Bill and I made love in his mansion. Here it was... only Thursday, and I was dry-humping Eric like one of Jason's floozies!

Still, despite knowing how I _should_ feel, the entire ordeal left me actually feeling... at peace. It didn't even make sense. Usually, I couldn't stand Eric. He tricked me into helping him and kidnapped one of my best friends... not to mention he was a murderer. And yet, I couldn't remember feeling as good as I did when our lips were touching. What in the hell was _wrong_ with me?

Biting back a sigh, I realized it didn't much matter what I thought about it- I was gonna have feelings for Eric one way or the other. A part of me hoped that it was just the excitement- give me a few days back in my normal life, and I'll forget all about Sheriff Northman and his talented hands... but deep down, I knew that wasn't true; and it terrified me.

I needed to distract myself. "Tell me what happened at the Palace. Why were you so late? And whose blood was on you?"

Eric looked at me out of the corner of his eye, a smirk on his face. "Forty-five minutes," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"I wondered how long it would take you to ask. My first guess was five minutes, but there you go, surprising me again."

I crossed my arms. So he thought he knew me that well?

"You won't like it," he said seriously. My mind panicked- was one of my worse theories true? Had Sophie-Ann discovered me? What had Eric done? It didn't matter- I wanted to hear it anyway.

Raising my chin, I tried to make my voice sound confident. "Honesty is important to me, Eric. You said you'd tell me what happened. I can't take any more lies. And if we're going to continue acting like we did tonight at Franklin's, I need to be able to trust you. And that means knowing who and what you are."

After looking at me for a moment, Eric seemed to make a decision. "When I rose tonight, I had to meet with Sophie-Ann. She wanted to discuss the Fae some more with Bill and I, which didn't take very long. She has a plan in mind, but it will take months to coordinate and iron out all the obvious problems."

_**Eric POV**_

_Flashback to earlier that night..._

_Sophie-Ann is getting dumber with every decade_, I thought ruefully. Glad to be free of the palace, all I wanted to do was take to the air. Unfortunately, I had driven my Corvette there, so I had to settle for driving. It wasn't too much of a hardship- after all, I had Sookie waiting for me at Mott's, and she'd be in her true, delicious body. I could feel my fangs itch and my cock begin to harden at the thought.

Distracted by my fae, it took me three stoplights to realize I was being followed- badly- by a black sedan. I couldn't see the man in the car very well, but it took me only a few minutes to lose him. I was confident that he wouldn't return to my trail, but paranoia rose in me nonetheless. Who sent him? And did he know about Mott's place?

I couldn't risk that he would end up there anyway and discover Sookie. Stashing my Corvette in a parking structure, I rose into the air and scanned for the car. It didn't take long, as the poor idiot was driving in circles near where I had abandoned him.

I waited until he was in a less crowded area, and slammed with all my strength onto the hood of the car. The popping of air bags and hiss of the broken engine filled the air. Underneath the burnt rubber, I smelled the stench of werewolf.

Using vampire speed, I had the wolf ripped from the seat and hanging in a head-lock within seconds. His feet were kicking while he spit obscenities at me, but I didn't listen. I knew guys like him were pretty tough at first, and there was no point questioning them until they understood you were serious.

Shooting from the ground, I flew up and up until I was nearing the top of the Troposphere. Although I was comfortable, I could feel his lungs seize and his breath came out in gasps. He began to shake with cold, and his skin took on a blue tinge.

"Let's do this quick, wolf," I growled into his ear. "Who sent you?"

"F-f-fuck... you...!" he bit out, teeth chattering.

I fought the too-human urge to roll my eyes. As Pam would say, werewolves are the _worst_.

"Wrong answer." I let go of him, and watched as he plummeted thousands of feet to the Earth below. In less than a second, I had flown down to catch him, inches above the ground. The pathetic wretch was still screaming as I pulled him back up to towards the stars.

"Now, have you learned your lesson?" More screams. "Listen, wolf. If you don't tell me what I want to hear, I will drop you again. Only this time, it'll be from high up enough to just break every bone in your body, while leaving you conscious enough to answer my question. Tell me you believe me."

The werewolf nodded.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Who... _sent_... you?!" With my last word, I held him out from my body, dangling him in the air.

"Compton!" he shouted. "Please! Please don't drop me. It was the vampire, Bill Compton. He... he told me to follow you, find out where you went. That's all, I swear." Tears were pouring from his eyes now, and I looked away, disgusted.

I flew both of us down and set him down a bit roughly. Looking him in the eye, I saw he was still panicked but not as much as I wanted. Something was off.

"Look at me, wolf." He did, and attempted to enter his mind. Only, this time it didn't work- it was as if someone had put a wall into his head to prevent him from being glamoured. I had planned on telling him to call Compton and have him come here where we could settle this. Now that I knew his henchman couldn't be glamoured, I couldn't be sure he wouldn't give away my presence through some sort of code... I had to have something to hold over him so that it would be in his best interest to get Compton to me without betraying me.

"Open your mouth," I told him quietly. "I want to give you some of my blood."

Confirming my guess, he opened up like a good V-addict without even questioning me. I wondered if Compton was feeding him his own blood, or if there was another vampire controlling the pack.

In a flash, I had my hand down his throat and tore out his tongue. The man fell to the ground, screaming through the blood flowing from his mouth.

Kneeling next to him, I covered his mouth and waited for him to listen. "Shhh, it's not that bad. Listen. If you take your tongue to the hospital along with some vampire blood, they'll be able to reattach it with no problems. All you have to do to get your tongue back is contact your employer. Tell him you followed me to this location, and he should come and meet you. If you want your tongue, do NOT tell him that I am here. Understood?"

The werewolf nodded, his eyes wide with shock. He retrieved a 'burner' cell from his pocket, and punched in a number.

"Better send a text message," I advised, chuckling. His tongue was still warm in my hand, and I had to resist the urge to lick some of the blood. "And remember, if he shows any sign of knowing that I'm here, you'll never speak again."

After the werewolf had obeyed me, I retreated to the shadows to wait for Compton.

In just a few minutes, a car came speeding down the road. Upon seeing his employee's car mangled, he jumped out of his own vehicle.

"Carl?" Bill said, walking to the werewolf's prone form on the ground. As soon as I saw his knees bend, I was on Bill's back, hands around his throat.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Compton?" I growled in his ear.

The younger vampire struggled under me, while the werewolf dragged himself to the safety of the cars. "Get off me!" Bill shouted, scratching at my hands.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right here," I said.

"Don't be stupid, Northman. What would the Queen say if you murdered her lieutenant?"

"She doesn't know where you are, does she?" I guessed. No, I was pretty sure this was one-hundred percent Compton. "You had me followed all on your own. But it won't work- you'll never find Sookie. I'm going to leave you in a puddle of blood and tissue, and no one will even know."

"Kill me, then," he said, no longer struggling. "But don't think Sookie will ever forgive you. She still loves me."

I hesitated for a second, thinking about it. That was my mistake- he broke from my grasp and slashed at my chest. The bastard had a silver knife stashed somewhere on him, and I gasped. The blade left a burning sensation across my torso, and for a moment I was blinded from the pain.

Before I could recover, Bill sent a punch to my face, causing me to stumble backwards. Letting out a growl, I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him as hard as I could. I heard him land on top of his car, the roof groaning under the force of it.

I turned around to finish the bastard, when an excruciating pain entered my back, just under my right shoulder blade. Reaching back, I pulled out a wooden stake. The werewolf seemed to have recovered some of his courage, and had stabbed me in the fucking back! Enraged, I lifted the asshole by his throat. "Guess you chose a life of silence," I growled, and ripped his head from his shoulders.

Dropping the werewolf's body, I returned my attention back to Compton, only to realize he had abandoned his car and run off into the night somewhere. Fighting the temptation to hunt him down and have his head, I flew back to the parking garage where my Corvette idled.

There was a farie waiting for me and at the moment, she was more important than revenge. Compton could wait.

**Sookie POV**

Eric was right- I didn't like it. Looking at his blood-stained clothes, nausea threatened to come up. I pictured Eric standing in the dark, a tongue dripping from his hand, and a werewolf on his knees in agony. And he had let me touch him after that? I had pressed my face against his shirt earlier! There was definitely a hot shower in my future.

The Corvette suddenly seemed too small for the two of us, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out all the emotions rushing through me. A man was dead because Eric wanted to protect me. I almost wished he hadn't been honest with me. Wouldn't it be nice to _not_ know?

But that was what happened between Bill and I, in the beginning. Lies and deceit were what characterized our relationship. Bill knew from the beginning who and what I was, despite feigning ignorance. Had I forgotten that Bill killed _two _people for me? As well as my Gran's brother? I knew all that about him, and I still gave him my heart, soul, and virginity. Was I repeating the same pattern with Eric?

I let Eric drive in silence for another thirty minutes. I could tell he was anxious about my reaction, but I couldn't find anything to say. Was I disgusted at his violence? Honored that he'd go so far to protect me? Pleased that he had been honest? Scared of his strength and viciousness?

Finally, I decided that it was too much to think about. There were too many moral quandaries and 'what if's, so I settled on being practical. It's what I believed Gran would have done; despite being a church-going Christian, she was also a sensible, hard-working woman who saw reason when it was necessary.

After I killed Rene, I'd sat at Gran's grave and had a long talk with her and God about what I'd done. I came to the realization that, although I had killed a man, I was still worthy of love. If I could forgive myself that, couldn't I forgive Eric for saving my life?

And Eric _had _saved my life. If he hadn't killed him, that werewolf would have been at Franklin's house now, bringing me into captivity or death. Yes, it was vicious and disgusting, and I was learning more about that side of Eric every day.

I was also touched and a bit shocked that Bill's words had such an effect on him. For an experienced warrior like Eric to give an opponent an advantage like that... And had Bill been right? If Eric had killed Bill, would I have been able to forgive him? Would I have been able to do what we did earlier in Franklin's house? I didn't know. Somehow, killing a werewolf who was sent to find me felt different than killing my former lover. As much as Bill had hurt me, I didn't truly want to see him dead. If that made me irrational, then so be it. Living in this bizarre supernatural world, I figured I was entitled to it.

Eric was watching me carefully, assessing my reaction to his story. I realized I hadn't said anything, and almost laughed at his expression. He had faced two enemies tonight, and yet he seemed more scared of my reaction than anything else! Was I really that fearsome?

"Thank you for being honest with me," I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"What? Do you want me to yell at you? Lecture you on how it's not appropriate to behead people?"

"Oh, God no!" He chuckled. "But seriously, Sookie, I want to know what you're thinking."

I sighed. "Honestly, Eric, it scares me how dangerous you can be. I don't like thinking how powerful you are, and what you're really capable of. But you probably saved my life tonight, _again_, and it'd be awful hypocritical of me to scold you for that. I can't hate you for fighting for me."

Thankfully, he didn't push it further. He had given me a lot to think about and, despite my words, I wasn't completely ready to move on from what I had learned. I didn't want to be a hypocrite, and yet that's exactly how I was feeling. My head knew that Eric had acted to save me, but when I looked at him, all I could see was the dead werewolf.

My mind wandered in odd directions until Eric's voice interrupted me. "I'm taking you home with me tonight," he said.

"Excuse me?" I had given him that signal, hadn't I? After all, I was the one who had said we could continue what we started... "Listen, Eric, I know what I said, but-"

"I'm not trying to pressure you," he said with a smirk. "I remember you saying you wanted to take it slow. And despite you attacking me earlier, I intend to keep my word."

I blushed at his words. I had been kinda forward with him earlier. "Then why do I need to stay with you?"

"Sophie-Ann is still not convinced you're dead, and the longer you're back in Bon Temps, the more likely it is that she'll discover you. It's not safe at your house."

"So, what?" I said, annoyed. "I'm supposed to give up my house, my job, _everything_, and just _hide_?"

"Sookie, please take this seriously."

"I am!" I shouted. "But I'm not a coward either. You just want to get me in your house, all isolated. Well, it's not gonna work! I have a life to attend to!"

I could tell from his jaw that Eric was getting annoyed with me, but I didn't care. I knew how manipulative Eric could be, and I refused to be ushered into a situation against my choosing.

"I am not going to let you sit in that house, waiting for the queen to kidnap you. Why are you being so obstinate about this?"

Great, he was pulling out the big words on me. "Eric, get this through your thick head. I am _not _moving in with you."

"I'm not asking, I'm telling."

"Screw you!" I yelled, and crossed my arms. Looking out the window, I tried to slow my breathing down. He was being such an asshole! I don't know why I was so surprised, this was the old Eric I knew; controlling and arrogant. The past few days we had been doing so well- he had listened to my plan, and I really felt like he respected me. And now, here he was back to his old ways. How could I have allowed myself to fall for it again?

I _was _taking it seriously! Did he really think I didn't know I was in danger? Ever since vampires came into my life, I have been attacked and targeted. Yes, it was scary knowing the queen was still after me, but it wasn't enough to make me give up my freedom. I may as well go back to the palace and let Sophie-Ann lock me up. Eric just wanted me to choose him as my jailer over the queen.

The tense silence lasted most of the way back to Shreveport. When we were a mile away, I began to get anxious. Was Eric really going to force me to stay with him? _Maybe I should call Sam, I thought, he can come pick me up. _As soon as I thought it, however, I immediately rejected that idea. Sam would just fight Eric, and I didn't want to be responsible for my friend and boss getting hurt.

I opened my mouth to argue some more, when I realized we had passed the turnoff for Shreveport. I looked at Eric, mouth still gaping. He did not look happy.

"You will not go out after dark," He said, eyes straight on the road. "You will not invite anyone inside the house, day or night. There will be guards posted 24/7, and you will not take any unnecessary risks. Are we clear?"

"Yes, dad," I grumbled, trying to keep the glee out of my voice. I had just won a fight against Eric! I felt positively triumphant. Mentally, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Pulling up to my street, I was again overwhelmed at all the changes he had made to Gran's house. The driveway was no longer a mess of potholes and weeds, and the paint had never looked better.

"Stay here," he ordered. I rolled my eyes. This again? Eric was much quicker at scoping out the area than Bobby had been, and he was back at my side in a second. "All clear," he said seriously.

I grabbed my bag from the car and made my way up the stairs. It felt like forever since I had been home, and I smiled despite all the danger of the past 24 hours. Turning around, I realized Eric was still staring at me. "Well, you don't need an invitation anymore, do you? It's technically your house."

"I'm not coming in," he said. "I've been away from the bar for too long, and there is Area business that I must attend to."

"Oh," I said, oddly disappointed. It was only an hour and a half until sundown, and I had assumed he would spend the night in his cubby hole.

I felt Eric's hand on my chin, and our lips met. It was gentle and slow, the complete opposite of earlier in the night. I felt all of his sweetness flowing into me, and I nearly forgot about our argument in the car.

"I will send human guards in the morning," he said quietly, and I was too tired to argue anymore. I could always yell at him tomorrow. "Don't tell anyone else you're back. We'll come up with a plan tomorrow."

Simply nodding, I told him goodnight and headed upstairs. It had been a long and crazy night, and I was looking forward to my own bed.

_Thank you all for reading! I know I'm slow, I'm sorry. But your reviews & follows really do inspire me, and I get excited whenever I see it. Love you all!_


	16. Again Today

**A/N: **Again, I'd like to apologize for my absence.** I'm working 40 hrs a week, and enrolled in graduate school full time. Excuse my French, but it's kicking my fuckin' ass. I'm sorry!**

**Wow you guys had some big feelings about that last chapter! I'm kind of glad you were so hard on Sookie, and not on the author for writing her that way... I understand why a lot of you are so angry with her, but I also want to make a case for compassion. Hopefully in this chapter you'll understand a bit better why she's acting the way she is. I want to have good balance between strong, sassy Sookie and sensible, loving Sookie.  
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**Hope this helps!  
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**PART 16: Again Today**

I couldn't tell you how great it felt to wake up in my own bed. I had showered late last night, and it was like waking up to a new life. I was safe back in Bon Temps in my own pajamas and in my own house.

The sun was shining in through new yellow curtains. The originals had been destroyed during the Maenad's reign of terror, but Eric must have replicated them as closely as possible. I smiled at his thoughtfulness. I didn't know how exactly he had managed to fix the old house so accurately; maybe he had Jason and Tara help? I'd have to ask him.

Thinking of Eric, I cringed a little at my reactions to him the past couple days. I had been so hot and cold with him; one minute I was rubbing myself all over him like some groupie, the next yelling and being ungrateful. He just stirred up all these emotions inside me that I didn't know how to handle.

After another quick shower, I headed downstairs to fix some breakfast. I noticed I had a few missed calls on my phone, and recognized the numbers as Tara, Sam, and even Jason. The voicemail was still disconnected and, heeding Eric's advice, I didn't add a new one. That would be a sure tip-off to outsiders that I was back in the world, and for now I was going to lay low.

Even though I didn't have any messages from them, I could guess why my friends were calling. The voicemail I had left for Tara had been pretty vague. While my eggs fried, I called my concerned friend.

"Sookie?" I could hear the anxiety in her voice. "That you?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile, "I'm back... again."

"I'm coming over." Before I could reply, Tara had already hung up. I shrugged, used to my best friend's style of communicating. I got out the ingredients for hoe-cakes, Tara's favorite. If she was going to come over, I might as well play hostess.

I had just finished my first cup of coffee and plate of eggs when I heard the door open. I had barely made it to the entryway before Tara was lecturing me.

"What the hell were you thinking? Are there any brains in that thick skull of yours, or is it just rocks?"

I let Tara continue for a while, and guided her to the table. She quieted when a plate of hoecakes appeared in front of her, and I sipped some coffee while she ate.

"Are you gonna let me explain?" I asked.

"You'd better," she grumbled through a full mouth.

"I had to go to New Orleans, to find Bill. After we found all that stuff in his house, I needed to know what he had planned, and if I was in any danger from it."

"So you just went to vampire headquarters? On your own?"

Okay, so that would have been my plan if Eric hadn't stepped in. I knew it was stupid, so I decided to skip that part. "Eric was with me the whole time, I was perfectly safe."

"Well thank fuckin' Jesus," Tara replied. "And? Did you find the asshole?"

"Yeah," I sighed. I recounted how Hadley had outed me to the queen, who sent Bill to find me. It hurt to admit out loud that Bill had just used me, after I had been so open about our love. I really dreaded telling my friends what a bastard he turned out to be. I didn't want to hear the _"I told you so"_ that I knew would be in their thoughts. Plus, it still hurt just to talk about.

"So that's it?" Tara asked skeptically. "You told him it was over, and he let you go?"

_I wish,_ I thought. "Kind of. I left during the day, so he sent a werewolf to follow Eric, hoping he'd lead him to me." I frowned, remembering the story from last night. "Eric killed him, and fought Bill. I guess he won, because Bill ran away."

"Good!" Tara said, slamming her fist on the table. "He should have staked Bill's ass when he had the chance. I know I wasn't thrilled about you dating a vampire at first, Sook. I mean, they had just come out of the coffin, you had never even _tried _dating, and there you were head over heels for Bill. But... I have to say, Eric seems like he really cares for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" Was I really hearing this from Tara? She hadn't exactly been onboard with Bill and I as a couple. What had happened to my vampire-hating best friend? I knew I shouldn't have told her about all the make-out sessions with Eric.

"Look, you don't know what he was like when you were gone. He never once gave up hope that you'd come back, and practically turned your house into a museum. And now, he's driving to New Orleans with you, risking his life for you!"

"And killing for me," I said sourly. "Have you forgotten what he did to Lafayette? How can you even forgive me for kissing the person who did that to your cousin?"

"Lafayette is a grown-ass man. He knew selling V was illegal, and he knew the consequences. Yeah, it messed him up a lot. But what did he expect? And as for killing for you, have you forgotten what went down out there just a year or two ago?" She pointed out the window in the direction of the cemetery.

I followed her gaze, and felt a flush cover me. I still had nightmares about that night with Rene. Never in my life did I imagine I would kill a man, and I often wondered if it had damaged my soul. Still, when I thought about the man who murdered my Gran, my friends, and Jason's love, I wouldn't change a thing.

"This is the world we live in, Sook. You and I, Lafayette and Sam... we're survivors, and we do what we gotta to stay alive. Don't ya think it's a bit hypocritical of you to judge Eric for doing the same?"

My chest felt tight, and I could feel tears behind my eyes. I knew what she was saying was true. In fact, I had known it even as Eric was telling me in the car. How could I begrudge him for protecting me, murdering for me, when I had done the same thing to Rene? Even Sam killed the Maenad for me, and I still called him a friend.

I was beginning to realize that I was hiding behind my righteous anger because I was scared- terrified even. I had trusted Bill completely, and it broke my heart. The closer Eric got, the closer he got to breaking my heart, and I didn't know if I could survive it.

"I can't do it, Tara," I said quietly. "What if it's all a lie again? How can I trust anyone?"

Sliding her chair over to me, my friend wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"Sookie, I'm gonna tell you something," she said. "You know a lot of bad shit has happened to me, right? I mean, even when we were kids my life was fucked up. Then came MaryAnn and Eggs, and I had the hardest time trusting that they were genuine. I wanted so badly to believe that she cared about me. How do you think I felt when I realized we had eaten human hearts, and that Eggs had been murdering people for that bitch?" I could hear a hitch in her voice, but I knew my best friend wouldn't cry. She was the strongest person I knew.

"In one night, I saw my lover die and my best friend disappear. I can't tell you what it did to me. I didn't think I could trust anyone again. It was pretty dark for a while there."

I nodded. I had marveled at how good Tara seemed when I returned, especially after the state she was in when I left. "What happened?" I asked.

She smiled, and it lit up her face in a way I had barely seen in her troubled life. "I let Sam in," she said sheepishly. "I fought tooth and nail, just like the first time. He finally asked me why I was makin' it so hard, why couldn't I let him love me."

"You were scared," I said, nodding. Her story was starting to sound really familiar.

"I was fuckin' terrified," she said with a laugh. "But I sure as hell wasn't gonna tell anybody that! I didn't know if I could do it, if I could let anyone back into my heart again after it had been beaten up so badly."

Everything she was saying hit home with me in the most direct way. My heart did feel beat up. It had spent five rounds in the ring with a heavyweight champion, and it was down for the count. One more blow, and I thought I might actually die. And Eric was the one person who had the chance of delivering the fatal punch. I just didn't know if I could take it.

Tara looked at me, and I could see the sincerity, the fear, and the love in her eyes. "It's worth the risk," she said. "You just have to decide if you want it."

I finally let a few tears slip, and pulled Tara in for a tight hug. I couldn't believe how strong my friend was. I knew she was a fighter, and I always had faith that she'd recover from her childhood, from MaryAnn, and from Eggs. But I didn't know she would be brave enough to open herself up to love. If hard, strong, and proud Tara could risk her heart, then maybe I could too.

"I think I do," I whispered.

* * _/\ _ * * _/\ _ * * _/\ _ * *

Tara stayed for another hour, and caught me up on her life. It felt good to be back with my best friend. I almost expected Gran to come down the stairs and chide us for getting too loud.

Eventually, she had to get back to work. I walked her to the door and waved goodbye as she tore off in Sam's pick-up. Standing on the porch, I stretched my mind out around the property. Eric had said he'd post guards, and I knew he always kept his word. Sure enough, I sensed the presence of one man on duty. I learned from his thoughts that a shifter was somewhere patrolling the property in the form of a hunting dog.

The man seemed serious about his job, and lacked the crass thoughts of Bobby, Eric's dayman. I smiled, and allowed myself to relax a bit. Still barefoot, I went out to the bench in the backyard to sit and think.

So far it seemed that the news of my appearance hadn't spread, and I was thankful. I had reminded Tara how important it was to keep it silent, and she agreed. Although I knew Jason wasn't the most trustworthy, I was counting on his guilt from selling the house to keep him in line.

Still, Bon Temps was a small town and it was only a matter of time before people realized my house was once again occupied. Besides, I couldn't live my whole life in hiding! I knew I had to reconsider Eric's offer to stay with him.

I knew now my reluctance to stay with him wasn't because I knew I could handle it on my own- in fact, visiting the Palace had taught me that I most certainly could _not_ handle vampires on my own! If I was going to survive this mess, I needed the big guns.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me. It was so peaceful in my backyard, and I tried to treasure the moment, because that night I was going to ask Eric if I could stay with him.

I opened my eyes, and screamed; sitting on the bench next to me was a man I had never seen before.

His eyes widened at my scream, and he held his hand out. "Shh! It's alright," he said, but I barely heard him over my terror.

In under a second, the guard that I had sensed earlier appeared, rifle in hand. He raised the barrel to his shoulder, but the man next to me was faster.

Shooting out his arms, a bright ball of light flew from his hands and blasted the guard square in the face. His body flew back to the tree line, and stayed still. _Fairy!_ I thought, terrified. Frantically looking around the yard, I searched for a shovel, a rake, _anything_ to put him down.

A large hound jumped on the fairy's back, but before his massive jaw could close around his neck, another burst of light went flying. The dog let out a howl of pain, and thumped to the ground. He snarled and tensed to leap again, when the fairy unleashed a blinding flash of light. The dog fell back, and his form melted into an unconscious naked man.

Giving up on a tool, I scanned the yard for an escape. My only pathetic hope was to outrun the fairy, and I knew I wasn't the fastest runner. Still, I had no choice. I took off running with all the speed my legs could manage.

I made it about two feet when a burst of light scorched the ground in front of me. I paused, and pivoted to turn the other way. Another light bomb blocked my way, and I realized he had me trapped.

"Sookie, I am not going to hurt you!" The fairy shouted.

I turned to face him, an incredulous look on my face. "Forgive me if I have a hard time believin' you," I snapped. "You just killed my two people right in front of me!"

"They're fine," he said quickly, glancing at the naked man lying behind him. "I just need to talk to you. We don't have much time."

Glaring at him, I walked over to the unconscious shifter. Sure enough, his breath seemed to come steady and strong, and there wasn't a mark on him. Keeping my eyes on the fairy, I made my way over to the other guard. I sighed in relief when I realized he was just knocked out. I don't know what I'd do if two people were dead just because of me. It seemed that for now, the fairy was telling the truth.

"Why should I listen to you?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Because I saved your life," he said, and I watched as his form changed to the hideous goblin-like creature I remembered from Fae. I realized it was the fairy who told my grandfather and I to jump into the portal. "My name is Claude, and I'm your cousin."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. How can you be my cousin? You're a fairy!"

He nodded, and took a step closer to me. His form changed back to human, and I noticed he was actually handsome, in the unbelievable underwear model kind of way. "As are you. Surely you know this," he said. While I had come to accept that I was part fairy, my mind had never let me truly wonder where that blood came from. Every time I began to think about it, my stomach clenched and my anxiety skyrocketed. I knew that to accept I was part fairy meant that someone I loved had lied to me my entire life, and I wasn't ready to think about that yet.

Claude answered my unspoken question. "My uncle Fintan had two children with your grandmother Adele. Our family has a long history of human-fairy relations, something that Queen Mab wishes to end."

His voice sounded urgent, so I pushed away the hurt his words brought for now. "You said the Queen was closing Fae- how are you even here?"

"They closed that portal, but there are still some left. I found one far from here, and have been making my way back to you. I'm hear to warn you, Sookie."

"What do you mean?" I decided to relax a fraction around him. He had saved my life before, and it seemed like he wasn't going to hurt me. "Warn me about what?"

"Queen Mab is set on gathering all the Fae blood to her side. She knows you are still here, and she will not stop until there is no trace of Fae left on Earth."

"And what do _you_ want?" I asked, skeptical.

"Like you, I am part human, and I do not wish to give up that side of myself. I do not believe in the separation of our races, no matter the danger it brings."

"Well, I don't want to go to Fae either," I said, thinking. "What are we gonna do?"

"I cannot stay here too long," Claude said, and he glanced up at the sky worriedly. "You will have to be very careful. The queen is after you, and she will bring all her might to get what she wants. At this point, killing you is her easiest option."

"Great," I said. Claude didn't seem too good at the reassurance thing. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

Claude sighed. "Your world is full of dangers. It is not safe for me to be around after night fall, as I am not strong enough to fend off vampires. I will return to Fae and learn what I can. Until then, cousin, be safe."

He turned, and walked into the woods without a backward glance. The instant he was out of sight, I felt as if a spell had been broken. I bent down to the shifter, and shook his shoulder. I felt ridiculously helpless- I didn't even know his name!

He let out a moan, and I let out a relieved sigh. "Hey," I said softly. "Are you alright?"

The shifter's eyes snapped open and he sat up, seeming agitated.

"Miss Stackhouse?" he asked. "What happened? Are you alright? Where's Dave?"

I held out a hand to slow him down. "Everything's fine," I said, trying to avoid staring at his nakedness. "Is Dave the other guard?"

The naked man nodded, and followed my gaze to the unconscious man. I helped the shifter stand, and before we reached the trees the other guard was sitting up. I could hear from his thoughts how angry he was that someone had gotten the jump on him, and how worried he was about what Eric would say.

"It's okay Dave," I said. "It was a fairy, I doubt you've been trained in how to deal with them."

_Oh right,_ he thought. _Telepath. Huh. _Outwardly he remained stern, and ordered his partner to check the perimeter. "We have to figure out how he was able to get by us," he said angrily.

The shifter changed back to his dog form, and took off. "Do you want some water or something?" I offered. The two men had just been knocked unconscious, and I didn't know how they could just get back to work.

"No, thank you, ma'am," he said politely. "If you wouldn't mind getting back inside, we'll let you know what we find."

I nodded at him weakly, and went back to the house. I figured he knew what he was doing, and I didn't want to get him in any more trouble than he already was. Besides, I had to think about what Claude had told me.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! You guys make it all worth it.**


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